Keep on the Sunny Side
by Wizard God
Summary: I was a normal person once. I had a boyfriend, a best friend and I was pregnant with a little girl. Then I died. And that sucked. But Primus had other ideas. I was put into a sparkling body, to grow up with the Autobot with Ratchet as my dad. So.. This should be fun. Sunny/OC/Sides
1. Chapter 1

**okay, so this is basically a plot bunny that has been following me around for the past 4 days and not letting me sleep :/ i don't even know if it's gonna work, but I wrote it up anyway. Please review, just so I can get an idea of what the story is like. Thank you :)**

Idea

"So how far along are you now?" My best friend Beth called over to me.

I glanced up from where I was tracing circles around my protruding stomach to see her staring at me. "Seven and a half months." I grinned at her.

She squealed. "This is so exciting! I'm gonna be an auntie! Have you picked out names?"

I shook my head no and heaved myself off the couch. "I know people always say this, but I seriously do miss seeing my toes."

Beth snorted and shook her head. "Don't worry, you're not missing much." she informed me as I walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

I laughed and shook my head slightly, glancing out the window. The sun was shining; like it usually was in Tranquility, Nevada.

"We should go outside." Beth voiced my thoughts.

Despite the fact that I was dying to go out, I hesitated. "I don't know.."

"Oh, come on, Molly! It'll be good for the baby!" she squealed, jumping up and down. I rolled my eyes and nodded my consent.

As I was dragged out of my apartment (thankfully, me and my boyfriend Paul live on the bottom floor, so I don't need to drag my pregnant ass up several flights of stairs every day), I checked my phone for texts.

"Paul's coming home early." I announced as I read the text he had sent me.

"That's good." Beth took a seat on the grass outside and smiled, before glancing at me. "Isn't it?"

I nodded, but she didn't look convinced. "We're.. having small problems." I admitted.

Beth's eyes narrowed. "What kind of problems?" she asked suspiciously.

I squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze, patting my swollen stomach absentmindedly. "Ummm..."

"Is he drinking?" she asked seriously.

I sighed and nodded slowly. "Yeah. But not much! And he promised to stop. It's hard for him, I guess-"

"No, Molly! Come on, sweetie. You're pregnant. You want to start a family. Neither you or the baby deserve to have Paul coming home drunk every night."

"It's not every night!" I said quickly.

Beth shot me a pained look. "Please stop making excuses for him. Tell me the truth; if it weren't for the baby, would you stay with him?"

I looked away, tears pricking my eyes. "I don't know. Damn hormones." I muttered angrily, wiping the tears away.

Beth sighed and leaned forward, capturing me in a tight hug. "It's gonna be okay, Molls. Everything's gonna be good."

I smiled slightly at her lie and nodded. "Yeah."

"Come on." she bounced to her feet and beamed. "Let's go for a walk!"

I groaned. Walking when I felt like an elephant with enormously swollen ankles was not my idea of fun right now. But clearly, I had no choice. Beth was already pulling me to my fee and grinning.

"To the park!" she cheered.

I smiled. She was going to make a great auntie.

Somehow, I got to the park. Some great god must have been smiling down at me, because I didn't need to rest once!

We were just walking past the playground, which was packed with kids running around and laughing, when Beth grabbed my arm and gaped at the road.

I turned my head to see what she was staring at and caught sight of a very nice yellow car. A very expensive looking one, too.

"Holy shit." Beth whispered, gaping at the car in astonishment.

My lips quirked up in a smile. Beth was a total car nerd; the kind that was likely to pass out upon seeing a car they liked. "That's a good car?"

Beth turned to stare disbelievingly at me. "That's a Lamborghini. It's more than 'a good car'."

I grinned. "Sor-ry. If the baby is a boy, I think you're going to have to have long, in-depth chats about cars. Without me, of course."

Beth rolled her eyes, still examining the car. "Hmm. The guy who owns it isn't too bad looking himself." she observed with a grin.

I glanced around to see a very good looking man with blonde hair leaning carefully against the car. He looked like he was waiting for something to happen.

"I call dibs." Beth said cheekily. "You're taken anyway."

That made me laugh again, before I turned to look at the kids playing. I could feel a wistful smile tug a my lips as I watched little girls dance and play around. I hoped for a little girl more than anything. I glanced at Beth and saw that she had the exact same expression on her face, except that she was staring at the Lamborghini. I snickered and shook my head.

A weird sound had me turning my head and frowning slightly. It sounded like hydraulics hissing. "What-" I began, but was cut off by people screaming and running. I yelped and struggled to protect my stomach as people carelessly smacked into me in their frenzy to escape the park. Someone knocked into me hard, and I somehow ended on the ground. I panicked and screamed, trying desperately to curl up so no one would touch my stomach. Thankfully, the flow of people seemed to lessen slightly. Unfortunately, it was then I realised that the sound of hissing hydraulics was closer. I glanced up and saw blood red eyes focused on the people running for their lives, an evil smirk on its inhuman face. Even as I watched, he brought his foot down, intending to squish the people in the way.

Everyone ran, managing to get out of the radius of his foot, but I couldn't get up off the ground fast enough. The last thing I saw was a huge foot coming down towards me. I felt blinding agony, then nothing.

And then I opened my eyes.

I was in what looked like a field. I looked around the place, completely bemused. "What-?"

"Greetings, child."

I shrieked and whirled around, completely panicked. There was a metal being standing there, not unlike the one in the park that had-

"Oh my god. I'm dead. Shit!" I panicked, waving my hands about.

The metal person frowned, shook his head. "Calm down. You are temporarily offline. That will change if you-"

"Why are you a robot? If this is heaven then shouldn't you- oh my god. You're a Terminator!" I shrieked, scrambling backwards.

If it were any other circumstances, the look on his face would have been hilarious. As it was, I was terrified. "What is a- never mind. I am a Prime, child. My brothers and sisters are close and watching, but cannot be here to greet you." the Prime soothed.

"Y-you're not a Terminator..?"

The Prime shook his head placatingly. "No. I understand it must be difficult for you to take in, what with what happened to you. But please allow me to explain."

He seemed to wait for my consent before continuing. "It was not your time to join the Matrix. You were carrying a sparkling-" he hesitated at my confused look, "A baby."

"Were?" my heads flew to my stomach, only to find it flat. I stared in total shock for over a minute. "What- where? Why- where's my baby?" I shrieked.

The Prime looked off into the distance. "It was not your time. Nor was it your daughters."

I felt heart clench painfully. "It was a girl?" I whispered. The Prime nodded once. "Is she here?"

"No. Her spark was not developed enough to make the journey to this place. But she is one with the Matrix. Do not fear for her." he said, his deep rumbling voice comforting, despite the fact all I wanted to do was curl up and cry.

"What is this place?" I whispered.

"The place of the Primes. Few ever make it here." he replied calmly. "Only those who receive second chances."

That had my head shooting up. "Im getting a second chance? So.. I'm going to come back to life? Like Jesus?"

The Primes lips quirked up slightly. "Not quite. We cannot return you to your old body, as it was crushed."

I winced. "Ouch."

"But we will set you up in a Cybertronian body." he continued as though I hadn't said anything.

"Cybertronian?"

"Yes. Our race, from the planet Cybertron." the Prime explained patiently.

"I've never heard of planet Cybertron." I said slowly.

"No, I would not expect you to have. Our planet is well out reach of any human technology. The being that destroyed your old body was a Cybertronian."

I frowned. "Huh. Not a friendly race." my hand returned to my stomach, and I winced when I was met with empty space where once my baby bump would have been.

"Not all Cybertronians wish to harm the human race. There was a war once, that ravished our planet. The Cybertronian race was split into two factions; Autobot, and Decepticon." the Prime said gravely.

My eyebrow quirked up. "I'm guessing Decepticons are the bad guys." I said dryly.

"I am afraid so. They.. are not particularly fond of humans. Or Autobots." he sighed. "Well, enough on that. I will give you a data packet with the essentials you must know. The rest, you will be taught."

"Wait, what?" I blinked.

"You shall be in a Cybertronian body. The information you will need will be downloaded."

"So.. You're sending me to other Cybertronians." I said uncertainly.

"Yes."

"Umm.. Autobots?"

A nod.

"Okay.. What if they don't welcome me?" I asked nervously, rubbing my now-flat-stomach.

The Prime chuckled. "It will have been such a long time since they have seen a sparkling, I doubt they will question it. You will be welcomed."

My eyes narrowed. "Wait. I thought 'sparkling' meant baby?"

"It does." the Prime nodded. "It makes more sense to turn you into a sparkling rather than a fully grown adult Cybertronian. For one: there would not be enough trust if you arrived as an adult. If you are raised by them, you will trust them and they will trust you.

"And for two; it's the opportunity to live like your sparkling may have, had she lived. Only in Cybertronian form." the Primes voice was so gentle, it was hard to believe he was made of metal.

I felt tears sting at my eyes for the first time, and I realised I must have been in shock. "W-wait. Why aren't you big, like the other robot?"

The Prime frowned. "A robot refers to a non-sentient being; a mere drone. I am a mech. And I was as big as the other mech. But if I appeared in front of you in that size, I may have startled you slightly, hmmm?" he said wryly.

I smiled slightly, ignoring the tears streaming down my face.

"You were never happy anyway." he said suddenly.

"Wh-what?" I asked, startled.

"In your old life, you were never truly happy. Your partner was constantly inebriated, and was unfaithful. And you knew that. You never knew true love with him. Your creators were one with the Matrix. The only reason you did not leave was because of your sparkling, and your best friend."

"Beth!" my eyes widened. "Is she alright?"

The Prime nodded. "She is unharmed. She will mourn you. She will blame herself for not pulling you away from the crowd before they trampled you. She will move on. She will meet a man. She will have four kids. She will name her first daughter Molly."

I blinked back tears. "Wow. She always promised she'd name her kid after me, I just.. I didn't expect her to."

The Primes facial plates seemed to soften into a small smile. "You will know love in this new life. That I promise you. And now, it is time."

I took in a deep breath. "Okay. Okay." I whispered quietly.

The Prime held my chin lightly with one hand. "You will do fine, my daughter. Now go."

He touched my forehead with his finger, and I felt myself fading and falling, until everything was black.


	2. Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes, I noticed a difference immediately. I could see things I could never have hoped to see with human eyes, and there were little windows at the left side of my view. They seemed to have some kind of information on it, but I couldn't process it.

I turned my head and tried to sit up, but my body failed and I fell straight back down on my back again. I let out a wail that actually frightened me. I hadn't expected that noise to come out! It sounded like.. a baby. I could feel my eyes- or optics, as something in my head told me- widen in realisation. I was a sparkling. Like the Prime had told me I would be. Oh dear.

My optics travelled around the place, trying to figure out where I was. There were trees, and bushes. It looked like some kind of forest. I let out another wail, but louder this time, hoping for a response.

The Prime had said he was sending me to someone, so surely that meant that there was someone around to hear me...

I tried to call for help, but it came out as a baby's cry. I growled slightly in frustration. Fine. If all I could do was cry, then I was at least going to get someone to hear me!

I began to scream, cry and wail, desperate for someone to find me as the little windows at the left of my vision turned red. I took that as a bad sign.

"-ut up, you slagger! Do you hear that? What the pit is it?"

"It's coming from over there!"

Two voices came from beyond the trees. My optics widened and I began to drag myself along the rough, foresty ground towards the voices. I let out another cry to let them know where I was.

There was a sound of cracking branches, and then the trees were bent completely to the side as another giant robot- I mean mech, stared down at me with shocked optics. His paint job was a shiny, pretty cherry red, and his grey helm practically gleamed. Even though I was a baby and he was an alien, I could tell he was good looking.

"Primus, Sunny. It's- is that a sparkling?" his voice shook slightly.

"What? Let me see."

The red mech was abruptly pushed aside, and an almost identical mech appeared in my view. He was almost the exact same except sunshine yellow, and his helm was a different design. 'Sunny', as the other mech had called him, was staring blankly at me. "Well frag me sideways. It is a sparkling."

There was a 'clank', as the red one hit his twin and glared at him. "Don't curse in front of the sparkling!"

If I could have I would have smirked, but my new body didn't seem to be obeying me very well. Every time I sat up I simply fell back down, as though my stabilisers weren't functioning properly. I growled in frustration, but it clearly didn't come out as threateningly as I had planned, because the red mech went wide-opticed and bent to pick me up, cooing softly at me.

My indignation at being handled like a baby (despite the fact I was one) faded as he held me to his chest and rocked me softly, almost sending me to sleep.

I jerked awake as Sunny snorted. "Feeling paternal, Sides?"

Sides just scowled at him. "You aft, she was almost in recharge!" he hissed at him.

"Hey, I thought we weren't allowed to swear in front of the sparkling! And how do you know it's a femme?" Sunny's face appeared over me suddenly, and hovered there as he eyed me.

"Because," Sides cooed softly. "She's too pretty not to be a femme."

Sunny rolled his optics. "Whatever."

"Hold her." Sides said suddenly, holding me out to Sunny. I yelped slightly as I looked down and saw the ground almost eighteen feet below me.

"What? No!" Sunny recoiled from me as though I had threatened to poop on him.

I frowned disapprovingly, then reached my arms for him, my mechanical hands opening and closing around thin air, trying to signal to him that I wanted him to hold me.

He glanced doubtfully at Sides, who nodded encouragingly, before cautiously taking me into his arms. I snuggled into his arms and smiled, perfectly content. It had been a while since I was held with affection; even by my boyfriend. I couldn't remember his name..

"Heh. I guess she's alright." Sunny shrugged a shoulder. I smiled happily up at him and he smiled slightly in return.

My smile faded slightly into a frown as the warning on my left view began to blink red.

"Whoa, what's wrong with her?" Sunny asked, seeming to panic. "Slag, Sides you take her!"

"Relax, Sunny! She probably just needs energon or something."

The word 'energon' seemed to trigger something in my processor, and I nodded and cooed at them both.

Sides grinned. "See? She wants energon."

"We'd better bring her to Hatchet, then.." Sunny murmured, keeping his optics locked on me.

I stiffened slightly. They were taking me to see someone called 'Hatchet'? That didn't sound good.

"What's wrong with her now? She just went all stiff!" Sunny was panicking again.

I let myself relax gently in his arms. He seemed pretty nervous around babies. I cuddled closer to Sunny's chest, enjoying the pleasant pulsing of warmth that seemed to be coming from behind his chest plates. The word 'spark' floated from the same place in my processor that had recognised the word 'energon'. I understood that a spark was a Cybertronians life force.

I became aware of the fact that Sunny and Sides had been talking and seemed to have reached a decision while I had been cuddling up to Sunny's chest.

I was held by Sunny while Sides began to shift and change shape, twisting and shrinking until where there was now a cherry red Lamborghini parked in the place Sides had been standing. Sunny then managed to coax me into the new car before transforming into a bright yellow Lamborghini. I frowned slightly; I knew that car from somewhere.. I just didn't know where. Of course, my sparkling processor didn't let me stay on one subject for too long.

I realised that I was a bit bigger than the average human, probably about six foot 6, with a stocky body that probably would have looked chubby had I not been made of metal.

Sides cooed at me through the radio for half of the journey, before turning on the radio. A soft lullaby came on and I wrinkled my nose.

A chuckle came out of the radio. "You don't like lullabies, sparkling?"

I blinked my wide optics at him until he changed the station. Back in Black by AC/DC came on and I cooed in approval.

"No, that's a bit loud.." Sides murmured, changing the station again.

A wail tore loose from my throat before I could even think about stopping it. Sides switched back to the loud blaring rock song remarkably quickly, and my wailing ceased. I curled into his seat happily.

Three or four AC/DC songs later, Sides pulled onto what looked like a military base. I shrank back as the soldiers turned to look as we passed, but I relaxed slightly when I realised that they were just admiring the two Lamborghinis.

Sides pulled into one of the main buildings, before transforming carefully, me ending up in his hand. He held me close to his chassis as he waited for Sunny to transform, then stride down the corridor, manoeuvring carefully around the human soldiers milling about.

I tried to see Sunny, but he was out of sight. I began to feel an irrational anxiety. Where was he? "Unniee." I tried to say his name, but my vocal processors clearly weren't developed fully yet.

My point clearly got across, because Sides' optics went huge and his head shot around to face his twin. "Did you hear that? She said your name, bro!"

"Yeah I heard." Sunny said softly, staring at me in blank shock. "Why- why did she call me?"

I smiled when I saw him and relaxed.

The twins shared a look, but said nothing.

"Here we are, the med bay." Sides announced as they approached a huge door that had been painted with a first aid sign. It slid open to reveal a large, well lit room that was clearly built to house giant alien robots. I cooed in curiosity as Sides edged forwards cautiously into the med bay, clearly on the look out for something.

"Did you comm Prime?" Sunny muttered, walking past Sides and glancing around the med bay.

Sides nodded. "Yeah. I don't think the Hatchet is here."

"Think again." a gruff voice came as a curtain was slid to the side and a large, yellow coloured mech walked out. "What do you two want?"

"Ummm.. We need energon." Sides began.

'Hatchet' snorted. "I don't think so. Do you not think its a little early in the day to be asking for-"

"Not high-grade." Sunny interrupted. "Low-grade. The lowest you have, preferably."

"Why?" Ratchet asked suspiciously.

The twins shared a look. "Uh, because we found this-" Sides shifted me in his arms and Ratchet's optics flew to me before widening, "- and we think she needs energon."

Ratchet rushed forwards immediately, stooping short of colliding with Sides, and gaped down at me. "Primus. That's- but- where did you find a sparkling?!"

"We were on patrol and heard her calling." Sunny answered coolly, crossing his arms over his chassis.

A tingle went through me and I started squirming. Ratchet reached forwards and patted my arm lightly. "It's okay, little one. I was just scanning you for injuries." he assured me, before turning and walking to a press. "Sideswipe, put her on the examination table."

Sideswipe stepped forwards and did what he said, his brother barely a step behind.

Ratchet came back over with a cup full of some pinkish purple liquid. He frowned slightly and began looking for something. "Aha!"

He had just straightened up with a round topped object in his hand when the door to the med bay slid open.

A huge red, white and blue mech stepped in the door, and by the way all three other mechs in the room straightened in respect, I guessed he was the leader.

"Is it true? I wish to see her." his rumbling, baritone voice made me feel like I was vibrating.

Ratchet gestured to the table, where I was lying and clutching Sideswipes hand. "Optimus, this is our new sparkling."

Optimus stepped forward, gazing at me. "It is truly a sparkling. By Primus.. This must be the last. And it's a femme, at that."

Ratchet nodded sadly, before returning to bending the rounded metal object on top of the cup, so it looked like a baby bottle. He picked me up gently, and the moment my grip with Sideswipe was broken I cried out, reaching for him again.

"Hush, little one. Drink your energon first, then you may go to Sideswipe." Ratchet said soothingly.

I hesitated, before allowing him to put the bottle to my mouth and begin feeding me.

I was vaguely aware of Optimus and the twins having a conversation in the background, but my focus was mainly on the energon before me. I had originally thought it would taste like strawberries because of the pinkish colour, but it tasted like petrol at first before turning sweeter as you swallowed it.

The bottle was pulled away abruptly and I let out a wail of discontent. Ratchet chuckled. "There's none left, sparkling. Now, Optimus," he glanced up at the leader, "If you want to do this, you will be the only one who can do so. Her sparkling file transfer software is not developed enough to share with multiple people; just one. Are you ready?"

Optimus stepped forwards and nodded. He unhooked a wire from the crook of his elbow and stepped closer to me. Ratchet slid a panel on my forearm back, and slid the wire from Optimus' elbow into the port.

Sunny stepped around them and closer to me, frowning slightly. "Is this going to hurt her?"

Ratchet rolled his optics. "No, Sunstreaker. It's a simple memory file transfer. We just need to know where she came from, and if there's more sparklings out there."

Once the wire was hooked up to my arm, I was reliving memories. Some were just flashes, others were longer, like videos. I realised that Optimus was browsing through my memories, and I could feel his confusion about the fact that a lot of my memories were of me as a human. Strangely, the ones of me as a human were the most blurry; but I got the sense that the Prime was right. I was never truly happy. When it got the memory of me and Beth walking in the park, and the screaming and running, I began to cry silently. I don't know how giant alien robots cry but I managed it, energon tears streaming down my face.

Thankfully, Optimus' face looked something similar. When we got to the bit where I met the Prime his optics widened, and he listened intently to every word that was said. Finally, the memories were over.

Optimus gazed down at me as I huddled in Ratchet's arms. "You have had a sad life, haven't you little femme?" he said softly.

"Wait, why's she doing that? Is she okay?" Sideswipe asked, startled. I realised that I was rubbing my metal stomach longingly.

"She is mourning." Optimus said sadly. "This femme is more special than we could have previously thought. She is a gift from Primus himself."

I frowned slightly. That was a bit of an overreaction.

"Does she have a name?" Sunstreaker asked, apparently disinterested but glancing at me nevertheless.

"Her name is Molly." Optimus said softly, patting my head as he disconnected the wire.

"Molly? That's a weird name." Sideswipe frowned

I scowled at him as Optimus smiled. "It is a human name. Now," he clapped his hands before anyone could ask him why I had a human name. "Who wants to be her guardian?"

No one answered.

"Sideswipe, Sunstreaker? You found her, after all." Optimus pointed out.

"No." Sunny said bluntly.

"Uhhh, what Sunstreaker means is that we don't exactly have much experience with sparklings, and it might cramp our style with the femmes.. So we're going to have to politely decline." Sideswipe said quickly.

I pouted, completely unimpressed. I had a strange pull in my chest, as though I was being drawn to them.

"Ratchet?"

"Optimus.." Ratchet hesitated. "While I realise that I may be the one who knows the most about raising a sparkling, I don't think it would be a good idea to have me as her guardian. I mean, I am always busy, so.."

"Would you like to be her guardian?" Optimus asked calmly.

"I- well, I would like to, yes, but-"

"Well then, you are now her guardian." Optimus smiled. "You will do a fine job my friend. Now, you know what to do."

Ratchet hesitated for only a moment longer, before his chest plates slid back slowly, revealing a glowing blue orb.

He tapped my chest plates lightly to signal me to do the same. I did so hesitantly, unsure of what was happening. I gazed, entranced, at the blue orb that was also in my chest; although mine was tiny in comparison to Ratchets.

He held me up to his chest and our twin balls of light merged together. I could feel my optics grow huge as a feeling of warmth and happiness washed over me, sweeping any fears or hesitancy to the back of m processor.

Somewhere in my CPU I was being informed that this was spark bonding. It wasn't in the romantic way, obviously. A sparkling usually has a bond with their creator, but the fact that I was simply thrown into this body meant that I had no creator, so my spark was now creating a bond with my new creator.

Ratchet lowered me down and smiled as he closed his chest plates. I did the same and cooed up at him.

"We'll leave you be, Ratchet. Get to know Molly. When you feel ready, bring her into the rec room. I'm sure the others will be anxious to meet her." Optimus smiled as he exited the med bay, the twins following after they had waved at me.

Ratchet looked back down and smiled again. "Let's get you more energon. Then we can meet the rest of the gang."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all so much for all the story follows and favourites! I would love to see more reviews though. Seriously, they make me smile :) heres the next chapter :)**

"Awww! Can I hold her?" a silver mech was grinning down at me as I lay in Ratchets arms.

"Only if you're careful." Ratchet grumbled, passing me carefully to the mech, who grinned down at me.

"Hey, pretty lady. I'm Jazz." he told me.

I giggled as he waved at me and tried to catch his fingers.

We were in the rec room, waiting for the rest of the Autobots to gather. So far, Jazz, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker an myself and Ratchet were the only ones who had arrived.

"Hey, I wanna hold her again." Sideswipe stepped forwards.

Jazz frowned. "You held her already."

"I found her!"

"That doesn't mean anything!"

I was snatched out of Jazz's hands quite abruptly and I blinked confusedly, looking up at the face of Sunstreaker.

"Will you two stop arguing? You're going to upset her!" he hissed at them.

They both looked down and mumbled vague apologies, except Sideswipe's sounded more like a string of profanities.

I snuggled closer to Sunstreaker's chassis, feeling the warm pulsing of his spark from behind his chest plates. I hardly even noticed the new Cybertronians filter into the room.

"Awww!" someone cooed, pulling me out of my doze. "Can I hold it?"

"That depends," Ratchet sounded wary. "Do you have any of your inventions with you?"

The mech pouted. "No. You let Sunstreaker hold it but not me?!"

"Sunstreaker won't blow her up, Wheeljack. Hopefully." Ratchet regarded Sunny with a scowl.

I giggled and reached up to Sunny's face, who was glaring right back at Ratchet. "Unniee." I tried to say his name again, but it failed just as bad the second time.

He seemed to have gotten the gist of what I was attempting to say however, because his faceplates softened as he looked back down at me.

The other Cybertronians began murmuring amongst each other, smiling.

Sideswipe stepped forwards. "She seriously likes you, bro. Can you say my name?" he cooed at me.

Hmmm. My vocal processors seemed to have trouble forming certain letters, and 's' seemed to be one of them. No harm in trying, I guess. "Ide-ipe." I managed to vocalise.

Sideswipe thought this over for a second before shrugging. "Close enough."

"Can I hold him now?" Wheeljack asked again.

I cooed indignantly at the 'him' part. Ratchet, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe and Jazz all turned and said at the exact same time "She's a femme!"

Wheeljack shrunk back, clearly startled. "Sorry!"

Ratchet rolled his optics and gestured at Sunstreaker to hand me over to Wheeljack. Sunny frowned uncomfortably, before handing me carefully over to Wheeljack's outstretched arms. "Don't hurt her." he warned him.

Sides smirked and nudged him. "Sunny, you ARE getting paternal."

"Shut up." was the growled reply.

Wheeljack grinned down at me. "Hi there! Sorry for thinking you were a mech. It won't happen again, I promise. Especially as you grow up, because I guess you'll start to look more femme-like and-" he broke off and looked up, startled. "Hang on, she's pretty much the last femme that's not bonded except for Arcee!"

Ratchet frowned. "Yes?"

"So does that mean that when she gets older she'll have to bond with one of us? You know, to keep our race going- OW!" Wheeljack's sentence had been cut short by Ratchet, who had thrown a wrench at his head.

"You're talking about my sparkling, you idiot!" Ratchet yelled at him.

Jazz stepped forwards cautiously. "Easy, Ratchet. 'Jackie was just-" he broke off as Ratchet spun around with a second wrench in his hand. "Never mind. Continue."

Ratchet turned back to Wheeljack, who was now cowering and shifting me in his arms so that I wouldn't be hit if Ratchet decided to throw another wrench.

I shrieked, desperate to stop my adoptive father from wrenches. There was a brief pause, before Ratchet stomped over and removed me from Wheeljack's arms, glaring darkly at him.

Wheeljack was in the middle of an apology when Optimus walked in. He stopped, taking in Wheeljacks whimpering, Ratchet's glare, and everyone else's smirks and awkward looks. "What happened?"

The smaller mech behind Optimus leaned around him and took in the scene. "It looks as though Ratchet is about to offline Wheeljack. That would be a shame." he said unconvincingly.

"Prowl." Optimus frowned warningly. "Anyway, has everyone been introduced to the newest member of Team Autobot?"

A few people shook their heads, so Optimus stepped forwards to stand beside Ratchet. "This," he waved a servo at me, "is Molly. She was found out by the northern border of the forest by the twins."

"Which twins?" a bulky, black mech asked, frowning.

"Why is that relevant, Ironhide?" Ratchet asked exasperatedly.

Ironhide shrugged. "Just curious. I might have to go easy on whoever found her. You know, as a reward."

"We found her!" Sideswipe and Sunstreaker yelled at the exact same time as another pair of twins did. The second pair of twins were a lot smaller, one green and one red.

Ironhide raised an optic ridge. "Well. Both sets of twins can't have found her." he pointed out.

Sideswipe turned to Ratchet for assistance. "C'mon, Doc. Tell old 'Hide it was us!"

My new dad smirked slightly. "I'm not saying anything."

Sunstreaker made a frustrated whirring sound and gestured at me. "Put her on the floor."

"What?" Ratchet frowned.

Sides tilted his head, listening to something Sunny was saying over their internal comm link. He nodded. "Put Molly on the floor." he repeated Sunstreaker's words.

Ratchet frowned again, but lowered me slowly to the ground. "If this is one of your pranks-" he began warningly, but Sunny shook his head.

"It's not." he bent down on one knee so he could talk to me. "Okay, sparkling. Can you please crawl towards whoever found you in the forest?"

I blinked up at him as he stepped back to join his brother, and then looked at the other twins, who waved at me.

I set my arms on the ground and attempted to drag myself towards my pair of twins. I hesitated slightly. MY twins? I shook it off and continued to try and crawl towards Sunny and Sides.

I barely got halfway before I was picked up by Sideswipe, who was grinning. "That's my femme. Say my name again!"

I returned his grin. His smile was infectious. "Ide-ipe!" I attempted to say again.

He grinned and cheered. "Good femme!" he then turned to Ironhide, "See? Told you it was us."

Ironhide grumbled slightly. "Damn. I needed twin targets for practice."

The other twins began edging away.

"Anyway," Optimus frowned at the interruption, "Ratchet has agreed to act as her mech creator-"

Ratchet snorted at that. "Agreed. More like coerced."

Optimus directed his frown at Ratchet, but continued nonetheless. "Seeing as Ratchet is our Chief Medical Officer, he may occasionally need help in raising her; whether he simply needs a sparkling-sitter or if he just needs someone to feed her, it would be much appreciated if you could give him some assistance."

Everyone nodded and glanced over at me. An Autobot with pink body armor bounced over to where Sideswipe was holding me close to his pulsing spark. She was clearly a femme; she was a lot smaller than the rest of the 'bots in the room, barely pushing thirteen feet, and she was a lot curvier. The pink armor sort of gave it away, too.

I watched her curiously as she smiled at me, wondering if I would look like her when I grew up. The pink femme glanced up at Sideswipe. "Can I hold her?"

He hesitated before nodding, passing me quite reluctantly over to her. She grinned down at me. "Hey. My name's Arcee." she said softly, rocking me back and forth.

I made a soft murmuring sound and closed my optics, almost falling into recharge as she swayed relaxing my with me.

"Whoa. Arcee's good with kids." Sideswipe observed.

Jazz murmured something quietly, causing a couple of mechs around him to laugh. Arcee glared at him. "Shut up." she growled.

I wondered vaguely what he had said, but was too tired to care at this point. I opened my optics a second later, however, as my body was enveloped in a tingling sensation.

I squirmed slightly, and Arcee ran a servo gently down my back to calm me. "It's okay, little one. Ratchet is just scanning you." she glanced back up at Ratchet. "Is everything okay?"

Ratchet was frowning slightly. "Yes, yes. Fine." he mumbled, clearly troubled by something.

"What is it, old friend?" Optimus stepped forward concernedly. "Is there something wrong with the sparkling?"

Ratchet hesitated. "Molly is fine, it's just... When she was crawling towards Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.."

Sideswipe snorted. "Jealous?" he grinned.

Ratchet glared at him. "She shouldn't have been able to understand what you were asking her to do. And she shouldn't have been able to say your names."

Sunstreaker raised an optic ridge. "She couldn't. She called me 'Unny'." he pointed out.

"Unn-eee." I cooed to prove his point. He shot a grudging little smile at me.

Ratchet frowned again. "She shouldn't even be able to say that much. Her vocal processors are very highly developed."

It was Jazz's turn to frown. "You're troubled 'cause yo' sparklin' is too developed?"

Ratchet scowled. "Maybe I'm making too much out of it."

Optimus smiled. "As I said, she is special." he said cryptically.

Everyone raised their optic ridges at him, including me.

Ratchet 'hmph'ed and stepped back, allowing Arcee to rock me back into recharge.

Later on, back in the med bay, Ratchet scanned me again. I didn't know what he was looking for, but he kept frowning. Then again, he always frowned.

"Anything out of the ordinary, Ratchet?" Optimus' voice called as he strolled in the door.

My new dad sighed slightly. "Her mental and physical growth process seem to be much faster than any normal sparkling. If my calculations are correct, she should age very rapidly until she is a mature femme, at which point the ageing should slow back down to Cybertronian standards. I'm slagged if I can figure out WHY, though."

Optimus patted his shoulder, causing a loud metal 'CLANG' to resound through the room. "Some things are simply not meant to be figured out." he said calmly. "It won't affect her health, will it?"

Ratchet shook his head. "It shouldn't. The only effect should be very rapid growth. That is why she could speak, even at her early age."

Optimus nodded thoughtfully, then smiled at me. "She has captured the sparks of almost every single Autobot. They almost all volunteered to sparkling-sit for you if you ever require them too. Except for Prowl. But I think he's afraid of sparklings."

Ratchet nodded once. "Hmmm." was all he said.

I shifted around, tired of lying on the hard metal medical berth. "Dada." I called, out stretching my arms towards him.

His eyes widened and he glanced behind him as if to see who I was talking to.

Optimus snorted. "She's referring to you, Ratchet. I believe she feels uncomfortable on the medical berth. Wheeljack is preparing a proper berth for her, I think." Optimus ignored Ratchets huff at the mention of Wheeljack and glanced back to me. "She has quite a few human tendencies. Don't be surprised if she acts more like a human than a Cybertronian for some time."

Ratchet nodded. "I can feel something strange in our spark-bond, but I would rather not pry."

"I think that is best. I'm sure you will find out when the time is right." he headed for the door. Just before he walked out, he called over his shoulder. "I'll have Wheeljack bring over Molly's berth when he's finished. And Ratchet? Take it easy on him."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! First of all, I want to thank everyone sooooo much for all the reviews and follows and favourites :D I honestly couldn't believe the response. Im glad that people like the story and want to read it :) and just to answer a few questions: yes, this story has a lot of the twins in it. Yes, Molly will get together with them later on in the story, and she is going to age quite rapidly; bear in mind that humans age relatively fast and Cybertronians age very slowly. So basically, she's going to fe like a human until a certain point, and then her aging is going to slow down to Cybertronian standards.**

**Hope this answered questions! If your question wasnt answered, please feel free to ask again until I answer :)**

"Ohhh, Mo-o-olly! I'm coming to getcha!" Sideswipe sang, rounding a corner.

It had been five months since I had met one of the first Primes and become a sparkling. I learned how to walk and how to talk in vague sentences, and I had met most of the human soldiers on base. They seemed nice, but it was clear they were wary of me.

Right now, I was hiding in a corner from Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, playing hide and seek.

"Hmmm... Sideswipe, do you think she could have gone missing?" Sunny's voice rang out as he followed Sides around the corner.

I put my hands over my mouth plates to stifle a giggle and peered out of my corner. Sunny and Sides were edging down the hall, looking in places that would have been impossible for anyone to hide in, even a sparkling.

Sideswipe put his hands on his hips. "I think we might have lost her." he said as he neared my corner. "Or.. She might be right-"

"-Here!" Sunny finished, whirling around to my corner and lifting me out quickly but gently.

I shrieked with laughter and clapped my hands, the metal sound ringing through the halls. "Again!"

Sunny grinned slightly but shook his head. "Can't. Do you remember who you're finally meetig today?"

I hesitated slightly as I thought, and then my optics widened. "Bumblebee!" I sang. Bumblebee was the only Autobot I hadn't met, but that was because he lived with his human charge, Sam.

Sideswipe nodded and laughed. "He's coming to the base for the first time since you arrived, sweetspark. Are you excited?"

I nodded. Sunstreaker shifted me into his arms, carrying me towards the med bay. The twins glanced around, clearly paranoid about Ratchet popping out of nowhere. When they were confident that Ratchet wasn't in the med bay, they bother visibly relaxed. As Sideswipe began searching for my makeshift bottle, Sunstreaker held me closer to the humming of his spark.

To say the twins and I had gotten close would be an understatement. We did everything together. They took me out everyday while my daddy was working, and played with me or took me on adventures through the base. I don't think my dad was particularly pleased about this, but he never said anything to me. I loved how they acted around me when no one else was around. They were themselves. Especially Sunstreaker. It was like they didn't have anything to prove to anyone, so they just didn't pretend. But when anyone else came into the picture the walls came back up and the scowls returned, mainly on Sunstreakers part.

"Found it!" Sideswipe called triumphantly, pulling the bottle out of a drawer. He filled it with energon and passed it to Sunny, who placed it over my mouth and patiently waited as I began to feed.

When I was done, I was carried out to the main hangar of the base, where most of the other 'Bots were waiting.

"Hey, there's my li'l lady!" Jazz grinned beneath his visor and walked over, almost bouncing with every step. He held out his arms. "Hey Sunshine, can I hold her?"

"Don't call me that!" Sunstreaker snarled, reluctantly passing me over to Jazz.

The steady thrum of energy that had been coming from Sunstreaker's spark disappeared as I was held close to another chassis.

"Well now. I think you may 'ave gotten even prettier since las' time I saw yo'." he grinned even wider at me.

I giggled slightly. "'Ank oo" I cooed. I was still having trouble forming certain letters around my metal lips, but pretty much everyone had gotten use to my speech by now.

"Yo' welcome." he grinned and patted my helm.

There was an abrupt roar of an engine, and Jazz stepped forwards towards the door so that I could see a yellow car come speeding towards the base. My first thought was that the car looked like Sunstreaker, but then I realised that my Sunny was a lot flashier and much brighter than this car.

"Bumblebee?" I asked, craning my head.

Jazz nodded and grinned again. "'Bee ain't the sparklin' no more." he set me down on the ground gently and I stood on wobbly legs before toddling over to Sideswipe and hanging onto his leg as the new car sped into hangar and skidded, doing a full 360 turn before the door opened and a human teenager stepped out, looking as though he was about to puke.

"Jeez, Bee!" he gasped. "I told you to take it easy!"

The yellow car began to transform until a fifteen foot tall yellow robot stood and chirped down at him. "Sorry- old friend. - Next time- slower." a string of random news clips and movie lines spewed out of the radio, forming a just-about-coherent sentence.

Bumblebee turned and waved, before his eyes roved between each Autobot standing there, clearly searching for something. He tilted his head to the side and chirped questioningly.

Sides picked me up from where I was clutching his leg and held me up so Bee could see me. "This is Molly." he said calmly. I cooed as the thrumming of Sideswipe's spark returned. Whenever I could feel Sideswipe's, I could feel Sunstreaker's, and vice versa.

Bee's optics grew even huger than they already were and he stepped closer. He raised a hand, as if going to touch me, but then thinking twice about it. I reached up and tried to grab his fingers. His expression brightened and he began to play, poking my stomach and pulling his fingers just out of reach, before dangling them in front of me again.

"Is that- is that a-" Bee's human friend was gaping up at me in shock.

There was a laugh, and Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps came into the hangar. "That, Sammy boy, is a giant alien robot baby." Lennox grinned.

Sam stared at him. Then at me. Then at Bumblebee. Then at Sideswipe, who was holding me carefully against his chassis as I tried to catch Bee's fingers. "Seriously?" he choked.

There was a small chuckle as Optimus stepped out after Lennox and Epps. "Yes, Sam. Molly here is a sparkling; an infant of our kind."

Sam's eyes were huge. "Holy mother- but who's the dad?"

"Ratchet." Optimus answered calmly.

Sam spluttered. "Ratchet?! Who's the mom?!"

"Our kind does not need two parental units such as humans seem to. One is enough." Optimus explained patiently.

"But- but- how was she made?"

Lennox and Epps began spluttering with laughter and I could feel my face heat up. I sank back into Sideswipes arms, thankful when they tightened protectively around me.

Optimus didn't seem to understand the funny side."I don't understand what you mean. She did not have a creator when she was found, so she bonded with Ratchet."

Sam shook his head. "But which Autobots made her?"

By now, Lennox and Epps had gone red from trying to hold in their laughter.

Optimus seemed to finally grasp what Sam was talking about. "Oh. Our kind does not need to interface to create sparklings. Sparklings are created when two compatible sparks are bonded together, creating a new spark." Optimus did not wish to go into details, and was saved from having to do so by Sam waving his arms.

"Okay, okay. Got it. Giant robots don't have sex." he shuddered.

"Actually, it is called interface for us. And we do, it is just not strictly necessary for us to interface to have a sparkling-"

Sam put his hands over his ears and started yelling "Lalalalala! I can't hear you!"

Jazz snickered, earning himself a dirty look from Prowl. He shut up quickly.

A red warning began to flicker in my view, and I recognised the symbol for lack of energon. My sparkling programming kicked in and I wailed instinctually, capturing Sideswipe's attention.

"Hey. Hey now." he said softly, cradling me closer to his chassis. "What's wrong?"

There came loud metal footsteps from the hallway, coming towards the main hangar.

"Slag." Sideswipe hissed, rocking me faster. "C'mon, please quit crying! Ratchet's gonna offline me permanently if-"

"If what?" Ratchet growled as he rounded the corner. His optics narrowed as he took in my wailing. At this stage, I couldn't have stopped wailing if I wanted to. My sparkling programming had taken over and wouldn't stop until I had gotten energon.

Ratchet stomped over and held out his arms. Sideswipe gave me up, clearly nervous. Ratchet scanned me quickly and frowned. "She needs energon, you idiot!"

"But we gave her energon before we came to meet Bumblebee!" Sideswipe protested.

Ratchet scanned me again. He was silent for a long moment, before he vented. "Sideswipe."

"Yeah?"

"By the looks of it, you fed her wiper fluid." Ratchet glared at him.

Sideswipes optics widened. "Slag! Is she going to be alright?" his optics swivelled and trained on me as I wailed.

"She'll be fine." Ratchet muttered, ignoring Sunstreaker and Jazz as they snorted with laughter. He took a bottle of energon out of his subspace and placed it in my mouth.

Sideswipe stepped back to stand beside Sunstreaker as I suckled on the bottle. Sunstreaker smirked at him. "Idiot."

"Frag off." Sideswipe snarled irritably.

Jazz cuffed him over the head "No swearing in front o' the li'l lady!"

Sideswipe scowled.

Sam smiled up at me as I fed from the bottle. "She's kinda cute."

Ratchet frowned at him. "What do you mean 'kinda'?" he asked, appearing affronted.

"I mean she is cute! Very cute! Incredibly good looking, in fact. Yes." Sam said quickly, nodding nervously.

Ratchet decided to ignore him. "I'm going to take Molly back to the med bay." he said, turning on his heel and carrying me away from the hangar.


	5. Chapter 5

_**2 months later**_

Ratchet was pacing the med bay, clearly tense. I watched him from my perch on one of the medical berths with my head tilted. The other Autobots had gone to intercept a group of Decepticons in Nevada.

"They had better not come back with their limbs hanging off," Ratchet growled irritably. "Or I might not fix them."

"Who?" I cooed curiously, sounding strangely like an owl.

"Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Every single time they go into battle they come back with injuries that they expect me to just magically fix. If they weren't so reckless in battle, they wouldn't be hurt!" he growled. He caught my anxious look and shook his head. "No, it's okay. They're never seriously injured, sweetspark. They're much too good. Just little injuries. I would offline them myself, but they're the best front-liners we have."

I smiled at his grudging tone. He didn't slow his pacing, and he looked increasingly stressed. I stretched out my arms towards him, trying to signal my desire to be held. He got the message, whether from my gestures or from the feelings coursing through our sparkbond I don't know, but he picked me up gently and held me close.

He sighed slightly. "I'm sorry, sweetspark. I just don't like waiting to see who comes back injured."

I nodded my understanding and snuggled closer to him, trying to ignore the tingly feeling that came over me as he scanned me. He did that a lot, trying to see how much I had grown. My rapid growth worried him, and he made no effort to hide it.

Ratchet stiffened slightly, his optics dimming. They brightened up again and he put me on a medical berth. "They're back." he said softly.

Minutes later, the med bay doors opened and Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Jazz, Mirage and Bluestreak shuffled in sporting mild injuries. Nothing like the injuries I had been expecting thanks to Ratchet. My optics took in the twins' injuries and I frowned disapprovingly.

Sideswipe saw my look and chuckled. "We're fine, Molly. Just a few scratches."

"I'll be the judge of that." Ratchet growled, pointing at five berths, "All of you find a berth and sit on it. Wait until it's your turn to be examined. I knew you two would be in here." he directed at the twins.

All five of them sat down and Ratchet motioned to Sideswipe, who was the closest. Sides stood and sat on the medical berth I was sitting on. He smiled at me and picked me up, settling me on his lap.

I didn't miss the look of pain that crossed his face-plates when his leg shifted slightly. "You 'urt." I stated, frowning at him.

Sideswipe waved a hand. "I'm fine, princess. How are you? Did you have a good day?"

I ignored his attempts to change the subject and poked his leg. He let out a yelp of pain. "You 'urt." I repeated firmly.

Ratchet snorted. "This femme is going to be a danger to everyone one day, I swear." he muttered as he checked over Sideswipes injuries. "Show me your leg."

"I'm fine!" Sideswipe protested.

"Just show him your leg, Sides. The quicker we get out of here the quicker I can fix my paint." Sunstreaker said, clearly annoyed.

Sideswipe scowled and handed me over to Sunstreaker, before stretching out his left leg and wincing.

I glanced up at Sunstreaker. "'Ide-ipe going to be okay?" I asked worriedly.

Sunny smirked slightly. "He's going to be fine once we find a can of paint and redo his paint job. He looks awful."

Sideswipe glared at him. "Frag off."

There was a resounding 'CLANG' that echoed around the room as Ratchet hit Sideswipe upside the head with a wrench. "How many times have I told you not to swear in front of my sparkling?" he demanded.

Sideswipe glared and shrank back as my dad continued his examination. "Sorry." he muttered.

Ratchet ignored him. "You have a piece of shrapnel in your leg." he announced, straightening up and taking hold of a large metal shard poking out of Sideswipes leg.

"Whoa, hang on!" Sideswipe panicked, before roaring in pain as the shard was torn out.

I jumped at his yell, and Sunstreaker instinctively wrapped his arms protectively around my body.

"MOTHERFRAGGER- THAT HURT, MAN! WHAT THE SLAG IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Sideswipe roared, clutching his leg that was now leaking energon.

Ratchet shrugged. "It had to be removed." he said calmly. He grabbed a welder and began to close the gash on Sideswipes leg.

Once he was done, Sides stood up and tentatively put his weight on his leg. He relaxed slightly and walked normally over to Sunstreaker, sitting down heavily next to him.

Ratchet gestured to Bluestreak. "You're next."

I had to giggle as Bluestreak went reluctantly over to Ratchet. I had never seen a person look more apprehensive in my life. In both lives, in fact.

Ratchet shook his head as he looked over at them. "I take it you lost this battle, judging by the injuries you've sustained."

Sideswipe scowled, rubbing his leg. "Of course we didn't lose. We just didn't win."

Ratchet rolled his optics and I giggled. Sideswipe smiled and gently patted the top of my helm.

"Ah am goin' to kick Decepticon aft next time we- sorry!" Jazz ducked as a wrench came flying in his direction. He glanced over at me. "Molly didn't hear no bad words, did she?"

I shook my head, blinking my optics at Ratchet and smiling. Ratchet rolled his optics in return.

Jazz grinned. "So Mollzers, what're yah goin' tah be when yah grow up?" he changed the subject before Ratchet could throw another wrench.

I tilted my head to the side and I could feel my optic-ridges draw together in a frown as I thought about this. I had never considered the fact that I might actually have to take on a roll in the Autobot ranks when I grew up.

I could hear the other mechs in the room laugh at my expression of concentration, but I ignored them.

Mirage decided to help me out. "Would you like to be a medic like your parental unit?"

I tilted my head to the other side, considering this. Would I like to be a medic? Like Ratchet? An image of myself hitting injured mechs over the heads with a wrench crossed my mind, and I shook my head. I loved my adoptive father to bits, but he had a temper and I would rather not have to train as a medic under him.

Mirage raised an optic-ridge and Ratchet shook his head. "Where did I go wrong?" he asked the ceiling.

I giggled at his silliness before tilting my helm again and returning to my train of thought. What would I like to be when I grow up? When I was younger (and I mean when I was a young human) I used to want to be a princess. Not extremely practical, I know. But now I couldn't think of anything. I couldn't even remember what I had done as a human adult.

Sunstreaker began bouncing me on his knee. "Do you want to be a tactician, like Jazz?" he asked, letting a teeny tiny smile grace his face. The smile slid off his face when he remembered there were other mechs in the room.

Ratchet spluttered. "No! My sparkling is not going to be involved in organising harebrained shenanigans that could get everyone killed."

Jazz tilted his head. It was hard to see his expression because of he visor covering his eyes. "Is tha' what you think ah do all day?"

Bluestreak giggled. "How about this; we all take Molly out for a while so she can see what we do. Then she can decide what she wants to be when she grows up!" he smiled, clearly proud of himself for coming up with this idea.

Ratchet scowled, finishing up the last of the repairs on Mirage's chassis. "She's still a sparkling. Why does she even need to know what she wants to do?"

Sunstreaker rolled his optics. "You're just grumpy because she doesn't want to be a medic." he ducked as a wrench whistled by his head.

"I think it's a good idea." Mirage shrugged.

Jazz and Sideswipe nodded in agreement. Ratchet scowled, but raised his hands in defeat. "Fine. But I do not want ONE scratch on her, understood?"

There were various noises of affirmation before Sideswipe picked me up off Sunstreakers knee and grinned. "So, who will the first lucky mech be?"

"Prowl." Jazz said promptly.

Identical evil grins split the twins faces. "Let the fun begin." they said in synchronisation.


	6. Chapter 6

**So, as usual, thank you all so muc for the reviews, follows and faves :D I love them so much! Secondly, im back to school and I have junior cert this year and my mum said she would pay me if I studied instead of winging the exams :) so updates will slow :/**

**Also, I'm probably going to try and draw some art for this story.. I'm not sure how well it's gonna turn out, or when it'll be done, but I'm gonna do it anyway :)**

**See you next update!**

Jazz knocked on the door to Prowl's office and waited until Prowl called 'enter' before opening the door and strolling in.

"Hey Prowler," he beamed as Sideswipe carried me in, with Sunstreaker right behind him.

Prowl frowned. "Jazz. Is everything alright?"

I gazed curiously around the office. It was pretty plain, with no furniture except the desk and two chairs. Data-pads were piled high on the desk, and I had to crane my neck to try and see Prowl.

"Yeah, fine. Molly here," Jazz waved his hand at me, "is gonna be stayin' wi'h yo' fo' a li'l while. That cool?"

Prowl frowned. "Excuse me?" his monotone voice sounded cautious.

"Well," Sideswipe began, "She's going to be spending time with everyone so she can see what kind of profession they do. We'll be staying with her, of course."

"Ah won't." Jazz shook his helm. "Sorry, ah got things tah do."

Sunstreaker frowned. "Like what?"

"Things." Jazz shrugged vaguely.

"Fine." Sideswipe rolled his optics, before setting me on Prowl's desk. "We'll come with you then. Enjoy yourself, sweetspark."

The twins and Jazz left the room hurriedly, and I turned back to Prowl and smiled. "Hi."

Prowl rubbed his faceplates tiredly. "Hello, sparkling. So you want to know about my profession?"

I nodded, unsure of what else to do.

"Well.." Prowl thought for a moment. "I am Optimus Prime's second in command. So if anything were to happen to Optimus in battle, I would take over and give orders. I also have other duties; such as taking care of punishments. I'm sure the twins have complained about the punishments I have given them, but I find them to be strict but fair-"

Prowl went on and on, until it came to the point where I had to offline my audio receptors. I was in danger of falling into recharge when the door banged open and the twins and Jazz sauntered in again.

"Hey. Sorry we left her so long. We lost track of time." Sideswipe said, reaching for me. I stretched out my arms eagerly for him.

Prowl almost looked disappointed. "Oh, she's leaving?"

Jazz smirked. "Why, were ya havin' fun, Prowler?"

Prowl frowned disapprovingly. "Do not call me that. My designation is Prowl. And I was finding the presence of the femme quite entertaining."

Sunstreaker raised an optic ridge. "Huh. I thought you just hated everyone."

"Actually, I believe I enjoyed her company so much because she didn't talk back to me." Prowl narrowed his optics.

Jazz grinned. "Well, maybe we'll arrange a play date or somethin'." he called as he darted out the door.

Prowl vented as the twins followed him out. I waved over Sideswipe's shoulder and was pleased to get a small smile and a wave in return.

"Aim lower, little one." Ironhide encouraged, tilting the plasma cannon in my servos to a different angle. "There. Now pull the trigger."

I did as he instructed, then lowered the hand cannon to see what I had hit on the target. It wasn't a great shot, but the point was that I had actually hit the target!

"Good!" Ironhide nodded approvingly.

From behind us, Sideswipe clapped and Sunstreaker smiled slightly.

I beamed and bounded over to them. "Yoo see that?" I asked eagerly.

Sideswipe grinned. "Sure did, sweetspark. You did great."

I beamed proudly, and Ironhide patted my shoulder. "Well done. Just don't tell Ratchet that I gave you a weapon."

I grinned and nodded. Bluestreak laughed and stepped forwards with another gun, bending on one knee to face me. "This is a Photon Burst Rifle," he said good naturedly, handing it to me. "Basically, just do what you did with the plasma cannon and you'll be fine."

I nodded and turned to face the target again. I ignored the fact that I was swaying slightly (I still hadn't figured out how to distribute my weight evenly on my pedes, so I was still quite wobbly) and held the gun up to my shoulder.

Bluestreak stepped forward and adjusted my grip on it. "Okay, shoot." he instructed.

I pulled the trigger and almost fell over as the kickback from the gun hit my shoulder. Bluestreak steadied me by placing a hand on my back, then looked to see where I had hit. "Nicely done." he said approvingly.

I smiled, increasingly proud of myself; before I felt strong arms sweep me up. I yelped in protest, but Sunstreaker just said "It's time to go back."

I pouted. "Why?" I asked, hating the fact that I sounded so whiny. It just seemed like an automatic thing to whine as a sparkling, but Sunstreaker just looked at me patiently. It was strange how patient he could be with me when I'd seen him lose his processor so easily with others.

"Because your daddy commed me." he said calmly. Most of the 'bots had picked up on my strange use of human slang, but rather than comment on it, they used it to help me understand them better; such as these of 'daddy' rather than 'male parental unit'.

I vented, but laid my head on his bright yellow shoulder and let him carry me back to the med bay, with Sideswipe walking next to us. I knew they were talking through their twin bond, but I didn't say anything. They did this a lot.

Ratchet was waiting for us when we got to the med bay. He raised his optic ridge at us when we came in. "Well? Did you annoy enough mechs out of their processors?"

"Daddy!" I beamed, reaching out for me.

A grumpy smile crossed his faceplates and he took me from Sunstreaker, cuddling me against his spark chamber. "Were you a good femme for the twins? Not that I would care if you weren't." he shrugged.

"I wa'" it annoyed me how I still couldn't say 's'.

Ratchet shrugged again. "Well. Maybe next time."

The twins rolled their optics at the same time. "Were gonna take her out again tomorrow." Sides informed Ratchet.

He frowned. "Why?"

"Because she still has to see Jazz's job-" Sunny ignored my dad's sound of protest and ploughed on, "Optimus' job, Wheeljack's job-" Ratchet made a louder sound of protest, but was ignored again, "Mirage's job.. Well, she has another few jobs to see, anyway."

"An' your job." I reminded him, tilting my helm.

The twins stiffened, glanced at Ratchet and then back to me. "Uhh.. I don't think you'll be seeing our job, sweetspark." Sideswipe said uneasily.

I frowned. "Why no'?"

Ratchet vented and shifted me slightly. "Because their job is too dangerous, Molly."

I frowned again. "Ironhi'e job i' dangerou'." I reminded them.

Ratchet glared at the twins. "You brought her to Ironhide?" he demanded.

The twins shuffled nervously. "Heh.. No?"

Ratchet vented again, but refrained from throwing wrenches; probably because of me. "Listen, Molly.. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are warriors. For them to take you with them would have unimaginable risks, and I wouldn't like that. You're my sparkling, I can't let you get hurt."

Sides frowned. "You think we would let her get hurt?"

"Not intentionally, I'm sure. But accidents happen-" Ratchet began.

"We would never let Molly get hurt!" Sunstreaker interrupted, frowning furiously.

Ratchet vented. "How can you say that when you can't stop yourselves from coming into the med bay after every battle lookin like you've fought Unicron?!"

Sideswipe scowled. "That's Sunny. I always look great."

Sunstreaker hit him. "Shut up. It would be different if we had a sparkling with us!"

Ratchet looked furious. "If I wasn't mistaken, I would think that you two at actually trying to convince me to let you bring my daughter onto a battlefield!" he set me down gently on a medical berth before whirling to face the twins.

Sideswipe shook his head. "It's not like we would let her-"

"It's not that you would LET her, Sideswipe! What if you couldn't stop her! What if she tried to run away, or play in the mud or something and you got distracted and BANG! She's gone!"

I winced as Ratchet raised his voice.

Sunstreaker vented. "Fine." he turned to me, "Maybe when you're older."

Ratchet snorted, then turned and picked me up. "It's almost time for recharge." he murmured in my audio receptor, picking up my bottle of energon.

I waved goodbye at the twins as Ratchet carried me to our quarters to feed me and put me to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

"Go play, sweetspark. Daddy has to work." Ratchet nudged me gently down the corridor in the direction of the rec room.

I stuck out my lower lip plate at him. "Want to stay wi'h you."

Ratchet smiled slightly. "I know. I'll get you later, alright?"

I nodded reluctantly before toddling off steadily towards the rec room. The doors slid open for me and I smiled cheerfully as I waddled in, probably looking like a huge metal penguin.

Bluestreak, Ironhide, Arcee and Chromia were sitting in various places around the room, drinking energon or just relaxing. They glanced around when the doors opened and smiled.

Bluestreak held out his arms, so I took the invitation and bounced over to him, allowing him to pull me onto his lap. "How are you?" he asked cheerfully, smiling at me.

I beamed. "Good."

Bluestreak laughed. "You haven't pulled any pranks with the twins?"

I pulled my most innocent face. "Me?"

Ironhide snorted. "I heard you replaced Major Lennox's shampoo with hair dye." he said, raising a single optic ridge.

I couldn't help the snicker that came out of me when I remembered the look on Will's face when he realised his hair was blue.

Chromia rolled her optics. "I swear to Primus, those twins shouldn't be allowed near sparklings. They're a bad influence."

Ironhide nodded. "If they need to be taught a lesson.." he trailed off as his cannons powered up.

I shook my head quickly and he frowned, looking disappointed.

Bluestreak just laughed. "Do you want to go out for a walk?" he asked me, smiling cheerfully.

I nodded and grinned as he stood up and walked towards the door with me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he carried me like a baby koala.

He continued to chat casually as we entered the main hangar, ignoring the odd looks he got from the human soldiers.

He reached the large doors and stepped out into the bright sunlight. It was October, but it felt like July. Blue kept walking until he got to the tree line of the forest, then put me down gently on my pedes.

I grinned in delight and toddled off, occasionally having to grasp a tree for balance as I veered off course. I wasn't sure where I was going, but Blue was following behind me so I knew I wasn't going to get lost.

"Slow down, Molly!" he laughed as he took longer steps to follow me.

I just grinned and toddled faster. I had to slow down a few minutes later, however as we broke from the other side of the forest. I blinked, looking around to try and figure out where I was and where I wanted to go.

"There's a small beach down to the right." Bluestreak suggested helpfully.

I nodded and began in the direction he had pointed in, laughing as the earth beneath my pedes began to soften into fine, silvery sand.

The beach was small, but that wasn't surprising considering the island was a military base, not a holiday resort. I basically made a beeline straight for the sea.

Bluestreak hurried after me. "Molly, you're going to rust if you get in the water."

I blinked my optics at him. "Please?"

He vented and frowned. "Ratchet's going to offline me.." he muttered, before taking my hand and walking with me to where the waves were lapping against the sand.

I giggled and tried to run head first into the waves, but Blue kept his restraining hold on me. "Easy. We don't want an accident."

I vented quietly but was content to walk slowly, feeling the waves lap gently against my metal legs. I glanced up at Blue and smiled slightly when I noticed I had gotten taller. I now reached the top of his thigh.

"Hey, Blue!"

Blue's head turned at the same time as mine did to see who was calling. I beamed and waved when I saw Sides and Sunny walking lazily down the beach.

They stopped just short of getting their feet wet by the sea. Sides grinned at Blue. "If Molly rusts, Ratchet's gonna put you offline." he commented casually.

A small frown creased Blue's metal forehead. "I know that. But if she isn't happy, you two would offline me. I'd rather take my chances with Ratchet, thanks. At least he would make it quick."

Blue's hand had loosened its hold around my one, and I took the opportunity to pull away and duck underwater. I kicked with my legs and pushed at the water with my arms, thankful that being reborn as a giant metal alien baby hadn't impaired my ability to swim.

I came back up to get air cycling through my systems again only to see Bluestreak panicking. "Where did she go?! Slag! I'm so dead. Ratchet's gonna wrench me! You two could help!" he yelled, splashing around desperately.

Sideswipe smirked and stepped into the water, walking towards me. I smiled sheepishly at him as he stood over me. He just grinned and swept me up into his arms.

Bluestreak glanced around and saw me in Sideswipes arms. "Okay. You found her. I'll leave her with you then. I think I need a stasis-nap.." he sagged slightly, before moving off and making his way back towards base.

Sunstreaker rolled his optics. "Are we really that bad?"

"Protective." I pointed out, pleased that I was able to enunciate it perfectly.

Sides considered this before nodding. "Maybe a bit." he shrugged as he set me down in the waves.

I smiled and ventured farther out, going farther and farther until the waves reached my metal shoulders.

Sideswipe stayed very close, watching me warily but still giving me more free reign than Blue had.

I turned to see that Sunny was still on the beach at the edge of the water. "'Unny!" I called.

He glanced at me and raised an optic ridge. "Yes?"

I held out my arms towards him, hoping my meaning was clear.

He shook his helm. "No thanks."

Sides snorted. "Come on, Sunshine."

"Don't call me that!"

"Just get into the water!"

"No! I'll rust!"

"So will I! But I'm sucking it up and getting in 'cause Molly wants me to! Right, Molls?" Sideswipe looked to me for confirmation.

I nodded quickly and look back to Sunny, pleading with my optics.

"Fine." he growled gruffly. He placed one foot in the water before recoiling.

"What? What's wrong?" Sides raised an optic ridge.

"It's cold!" Sunny hissed.

I giggled and bent down slightly so my chin was just about above the water.

Sunny scowled and edged forward slowly until he was level with me and Sides. The waves made soft sounds as they hit off his thighs.

I smiled and reached up for him again. He vented huffily but smiled slightly as he took me into his arms. "You're getting big." he observed as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

"Daddy said I would be four in human years." I told him proudly.

The twins shared a look, and I didn't need access to their internal comm links to know what they were thinking. I had aged four human years in seven months.

"Well.. That's.. Good." Sideswipe said eventually.

I tilted my helm. "You're lying." I pointed out.

Sides smiled. "It's just a white lie, sweetspark. Lies never hurt anybody."

I raised my optic ridges at the stark contrast between what Sides had just said and what Ratchet taught me.

Sunny slapped Sides' helm. "You're not meant to tell her that! You're meant to say lies are bad!"

"But sometimes they're not!" Sideswipe looked bewildered.

I grinned at them. "You're silly."

"It's a talent." Sideswipe shrugged, before crouching down on his hunkers so his waist was in the water and splashing me.

I squealed and jumped back, laughing. I kicked water back at him in retaliation.

Sides just laughed and brought his arm down hard, creating what looked like a tidal wave. I covered my head with my arms and squealed in delight as the water crashed around me.

When the water cleared, Sunny was shaking his head. "Are we nearly done?"

Sides scowled at him. "We're playing, Sunny. You can play too, if you ask nicely."

Sunny glared at him. "Sides-" he began warningly.

"Fine, fine! Sorry, sweetspark. We have to go on patrol. If Prime found out we were neglecting our duty to play he'd have our afts." Sides said apologetically.

I nodded sadly and smiled. "S'okay.".

Sunny bent and picked me up, settling me on his hip plates. "Later, alright?"

I perked up and nodded.

Sunny gave me one of his rare smiles and turned, heading for the shore. Sides followed behind, stumbling occasionally and cursing.

When we got back to the base, Sunny set me down and told me they'd see me later on. I just nodded and watched as they drove away, before heading back into the main hangar.

Lennox and Epps were tapping away at an iPad, coming up with military strategies or something. They glanced up when they became aware of me approaching.

"Hi." I smiled, waving slightly.

Lennox just raised an eyebrow and looked off into the distance haughtily, his blue hair catching the sunlight prettily.

Epps snickered. "He's still pissy about the shampoo thing."

I nodded. "Sorry..." I mumbled, glancing down.

Lennox sighed. "I guess it wasn't your fault.. It was the twins."

I frowned slightly, disliking the way he put the blame so easily on the twins, but I didn't say anything. His pride seemed wounded enough as it was.

Epps snickered again. "Yeah, I'm sure Molly had absolutely nothing to do with it," he said sarcastically.

"I'm trying to forgive and forget, here. You're not helping." Lennox glared.

"Maybe you should dye your hair back before you try to forget." Epps shot back.

Lennox growled and fingered his gun, causing me to step back in apprehension. "I'll 'ee you later!" I called over my shoulder as I hurried away before they could begin fighting.

I walked to the rec room, cautiously avoiding the human soldiers, who were only up to my waist.

Jazz was in the rec room with Wheeljack, who was eagerly presenting a metal object into Jazz's face.

"Ah don' care, 'Jack! Ah ain't tryin' none o' yo' inventions!" Jazz recoiled.

Wheeljack frowned. "But I promise it won't explode! Really! I tested it over twenty times with myself and it only exploded under half the time!"

Jazz didn't look very convinced. "Well if yo' so convinced it won' 'splode then why do yo' wan' me tah try?"

"Because it's entirely possible that I may have built up an immunity to it, and that's why it doesn't explode when I use it." Wheeljack reasoned.

"Wha-? No! Ah'm no' doin' nothin' that's gonna make me explode, Wheeljack!"

"What is it?" I asked curiously, gazing up at the metal device in Wheeljack's hand.

Wheeljack beamed, clearly pleased by my interest. "Well, I haven't named it yet, but it basically puts your Cybertronian form into subspace and allows your holoform to be your temporary body. It can only be used for short spaces of time, though."

"Oh. What a holoform?"

Wheeljack paused, and suddenly a human man in a white lab coat appeared by his feet. The man waved up at me and my optics widened.

"I'h that you?" I asked, staring at the man.

The man chuckled and spread out his arms. "Its my holoform."

I cooed interestedly and bent down to view him better. "Can I poke you?"

The real Wheeljack laughed nervously. "Actually Molly-Dolly, it may be better if you don't. It'll hurt," he explained.

I nodded understandingly and smiled. "Can I try it?" I asked, standing on the tips of my pedes.

Wheeljack glanced questioningly at Jazz, who shrugged and said "Yo' said it wouldn' explode. Jus' know tha' if it does offline her you'll have tah deal with Ratchet AND the twins."

Wheeljack's optics widened at the threat. "Maybe I shouldn't-"

"No! I want to try!" I insisted.

Wheeljack hesitated, before venting in defeat. "Fine."

"Does she even have a holoform?" Jazz asked, leaning casually against the huge Cybertronian sized table.

"I think Ratchet and First Aid installed one a while ago, but she never used it. Correct, sweetspark?" Wheeljack raised an optic ridge as he picked me up and set me on the table. "Open up your chassis, please."

I obeyed and watched as he began installing the new device.

After a couple of minutes of tinkering he straightened up again. "Access your holoform please."

I frowned slightly. "How?"

"It should be in your databanks." he said patiently.

I nodded and tilted my helm to the side as I accessed the information. My body started transforming down, parts of me disappearing into subspace and metal skin softening into human skin. I stopped shrinking when I stood at about the same height as a human four-year-old.

Wheeljack's mouth-plates dropped open. "Oh my Primus. It worked!"

Jazz frowned. "Yo' knew it would work, didn't yo'?"

Wheeljack froze. "Oh. Sure." he said unconvincingly.

I smiled innocently at them. "How do I look?" I asked, my voice higher and softer than I had grown used to.

Jazz grinned and gestured to the metallic surface of the table. I looked down at my reflection in the shiny metal.

A little four year old face stared back at me, with little dimples and tight brown curls. Bright blue eyes blinked at me. I glanced up at Wheeljack. "I look 'trange."

Wheeljack nodded. "That's okay. All humans do."

I beamed and pointed down at the ground. Jazz got my hint and lifted me to the floor. "I'm going to 'ow Will!"

Jazz raised an optic ridge. "You mean show?"

I scowled. "Yeah." I said, heading for the door.

I bounced back into the hangar, but it took a bit longer to reach it due to the fact I was so much smaller now.

"Will!" I yelled as I ran towards him; he was still arguing with Epps.

He turned around at the sound of my shout and his face scrunched up in confusion at the sight of a little girl running towards him. "Who-?"

I reached him and jumped up into his arms.

He yelped and took a step back as he tried to keep his balance while still holding me, "Jesus! You're a... Sturdy kid."

Epps frowned looking bewildered. "Where did she come from?" he looked around, as if expecting an answer to pop out from behind a passing soldier.

"I dunno." Will leaned back in order to see my face. "What's your name, kiddo?"

I grinned at him. "Molly."

Will nodded, clearly not making the connection. "Alright. Where's your daddy?"

"Working."

Will nodded again. "Working where?"

"Where he alway'th work." I beamed.

"Where does he always work?" Will pressed.

Epps sighed. "What's your daddy's name, baby girl?"

"Ratchet." I said proudly,

Will froze and Epps' eyes grew huge. "Holy shit."

"What did Wheeljack do to you?" Will asked, mouth wide open.

I frowned. "How did you know it wa' 'Jackie?"

Will gave me a look. "Who else would it have been?"

Epps stepped closer and poked my face. "Are you real?"

Both me and Will burst out laughing. "Of course she's real, you idiot! She almost knocked me over when she jumped on me!"

Epps flushed. "Well I'm sorry, but she used to be a giant alien robot! I'm a bit confused about what happened!"

Will looked back to me, "It looks like one of the holoforms the 'bots use, but her actual body isn't anywhere near here..."

I wriggled until Will set me on the ground, then took a few steps back and began transforming back into my natural form. When I was taller than them again I giggled.

Epps just stared at me. "That is some hardass shit."

Will smacked him. "Don't swear in front of her!"

I rolled my optics. They had no idea that I actually knew every single human swear word they could think of, thanks to my previous human life.

Suddenly Epps laughed. "What's Ratchet going to say when he finds out Wheeljack tried out an invention on his darling daughter?"

Will winced. "Ouch. Wheeljack's in for an ass- I mean butt- whupping."

Paste your document here..


	8. Chapter 8

"WHEELJACK."

Ratchet's voice boomed around the halls, causing Autobots and humans alike to duck out of the way as he stormed down the hall.

I sat on his hand in my human holoform, scratching my head sheepishly as he marched into the lab.

Wheeljack was half bent over an engine, his hands clearly in the middle of reassembling it. He had frozen when Ratchet burst in and his optics were wide, like a deer trapped in headlights.

"What is this?" Ratchet growled, thrusting out the hand I was sitting in.

Wheeljack looked down and smiled sheepishly. "Uh.. Your sparkling?"

"Why is she human?" Ratchets voice was dangerously quiet.

Wheeljack blinked. "Oh. Oh, right. Well. That happened earlier."

"What. Happened?" Ratchet asked through gritted denta.

"Um.. Well.. Jazz didn't want to try my invention, and Molly asked what it was-"

"So you experimented on my sparkling?!" Ratchet yelled.

"No! No! I would never-" Wheeljack was cut off as a wrench hit his chassis. "Ow! Ratchet! I'm sorry!"

"You're not sorry yet." he growled, taking a threatening step forward.

"Daddy!" I stood up, unsteady in his huge hand. Ratchet glanced down immediately. "Don't."

Ratchet frowned, but before he could say anything the doors to the lab slid open and Prowl walked in. He stilled when he saw the scene before him. "What's going on?"

"Did you know Wheeljack was experimenting on Molly?" Ratchet demanded.

"I wasn't exper-" Wheeljack's sentence was cut off by a yelp as he ducked down to avoid the wrench that was sent flying his direction.

Prowls optics narrowed in understanding. "Ah. You're referring to her advanced holoform. Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps found it quite entertaining."

"So you did know?" Ratchet rounded on Prowl, who took a step back.

"Well, I- Ratchet. I'm going to have to ask you to put down the wrench."

Ratchet growled, but lowered the wrench. "Fine."

I squirmed in his hand until he placed me on the ground, then transformed back to my Cybertronian form.

"It works well." Wheeljack beamed, clearly pleased with himself. His smile faded when Ratchet turned his head to glare at him.

"What if it had exploded like your other experiments?" he scowled.

Wheeljack shook his head. "I tested it on myself several times before. I would never purposely put Molly in danger, Ratchet." he said earnestly.

I walked over to Ratchet and held my arm up. "I'm fine," I smiled.

Ratchet vented and picked me up. I wrapped my legs around him and rested my helm on his chassis. He glanced over at Wheeljack and frowned. "Don't ever test anything on my daughter again." he warned.

Wheeljack nodded quickly. "Never again."

"I mean it."

"I know, sir."

"If you do, I'll disable your weapons and throw you to the twins."

Wheeljack's large metal face blanched. "Got it." he managed to say.

Ratchet nodded once and carried me out, marching down the corridor. He vented once we reached our quarters.

He set me down gently and walked over to a cupboard, retrieving my energon bottle.

Naturally, my protests that I was too old for a bottle were ignored, so I just drank it without another word.

"Are you feeling okay, sweetspark?" Ratchet asked.

I glanced up from my energon to see him watching me closely. I nodded. "Why?"

"Wheeljack's 'invention' isn't bothering you, is it?"

I shook my head quickly. "No bother." I smiled.

Ratchet vented and nodded. "I'm going to do some work." he glanced over at the pile of data pads sitting on the table beside his berth.

I nodded and put my bottle down before wandering over and picking up a smaller data pad. I turned it on and a picture of a mechs protoform came up.

Ratchet raised an optic ridge. "You're learning about the body?"

I smiled and nodded, eyeing the diagram. It wasn't too different to a humans skeleton, just with different parts and names.

"I thought you didn't want to be a medic." Ratchet chuckled.

I smiled, happy to hear him laughing. "'rying it ou'."

"Trying it out." Ratchet corrected.

I scowled. "Yeah."

Ratchet nodded and picked me up. He placed me on his knee as he sat on the berth and took the data pad in his hand. "See that there?" he asked, pointing at a squiggly purple line in the mechs neck. I nodded. "That's a main energon line. It's very important. If that is severed a mech could leak to death in a matter of human minutes."

I nodded my understanding. It was like a humans jugular vein.

"And that there? That's a spark cavity. You know what that is, don't you?" I nodded again. "Good girl. Inside the cavity, the spark rests..."

Almost an hour later, we had finished going through the Cybertronian anatomy. I knew every part of my knew body as well as I had known my human one; perhaps better.

"I think it's time for berth, sweetspark." Ratchet said softly, picking me up and carrying me over to my makeshift cot.

I cycled air through my vents to try and wake up my systems and nodded.

Ratchet set me down gently and straightened up. "Goodnight, Molly."

"Nigh'. Love you." I said sleepily, rolling onto my side.

Ratchet smiled again. "I love you too, sweetspark." he said softly, almost too quietly to hear. He began to walk towards his berth before he stopped and tilted his head, listening to a message in his internal comm link.

I sat up on my elbows to see him better. He had just stopped moving before nodding once, clearly sending a message back. "Daddy?"

He turned his helm and forced a smile. "I'll be back in a while, sparkling. I have to go to work."

"'omeone hur'?" I frowned slightly.

Ratchet came over and patted my helm. "There was a minor skirmish with some Decepticons. Nothing major. I'll be back soon." he promised, pressing a kiss the the top of my helm. He walked over to the door and gave me a little wave before leaving.

I sighed. "Bye." I whispered, aware that he was already gone.

I was woken up two hours later by the door sliding open and Ratchet returning. I sat up in bed but didn't say anything, choosing to watch as he dragged himself to his berth.

He lay down and glanced over at me, looking surprised to see me awake.

"Are you ok?" I asked worriedly, looking over him quickly.

Ratchet smiled slightly and nodded. "Perfectly fine, sweetspark. Just tired." he assured me, laying his helm back on his berth.

"Wha' happened?" I asked curiously, standing up and peering out of the bars of my cot.

"There was a Decepticon attack earlier. Optimus took a team out to intercept, but there were a few injuries." Ratchet said tiredly.

"Who?" I asked, my spark tight with anxiety.

Ratchet glanced over at me again, clearly trying to decide whether or not he should worry me by telling me any more. "Sideswipe and Ironhide were the worst. Don't worry sparkling, they're all better now, ok?"

I nodded slowly, even though it wasn't ok.

He smiled slightly. "I'll take you to see him in the morning." he promised. "But for now, recharge."

I nodded and lay back down. I waited for about twenty minutes, until Ratchet's venting had slowed and evened out.

My cot was big enough to hold a Cybertronian of my size, but it wasn't very tall. This was why I was able to climb over the railing and slip to the ground with minimal noise. I crept to the door and winced at the sound it made when it opened, but Ratchet didn't stir. He must have been exceptionally tired.

I crept down the hallways as quietly as I could, activating night vision so I could see where I was going. It took me a few minutes longer to reach the med bay that it would have usually; everything looked different at night, even with night vision.

I poked my head around the door and saw Sideswipe lying on a medical berth, clearly in recharge, and Sunny sitting right beside him. Behind them, Ironhide was also in recharge on another medical berth, but he didn't look quite as battered as Sideswipe.

"'unny? I whispered as I came into the med bay, staring up at Sides.

He jumped slightly and turned to stare. "Moll- what are you doing here?" he asked harshly, turning back to his brother.

I didn't take offence to Sunny's rudeness. It figured he would care even less about other peoples feeling if his second half got harmed. "I' he okay?" I asked, gripping the side of the berth and attempting to pull myself up.

Sunny's jaw clenched slightly, but he pushed my backside up so I was sitting on Sideswipe's arm. "Ratchet says he'll be fine tomorrow, but it'll take a few days longer to heal fully." he said, venting slightly and glancing back to Sideswipe. It was obvious that this was strange to him. Usually when the twins came back from battle, they barely had a scratch on them.

"Wha' happened?" I repeated my question to Sunstreaker, hoping he would answer me.

Sunny vented. "Sides was attacking one of the jets - Skywarp, I think- but Starscream came from behind and knocked him off the top of the jet. He fell a long way because he never had time to activate his jet pack. When he hit the bottom Ironhide over here," Sunny glared daggers at Ironhide's unconscious form, "Thought it'd be a good idea to fall on him."

I gazed at Sideswipe. He had a couple of broken energon lines (none of them had been main energon lines, thankfully), an arm that had clearly been reattached and he had some pretty bad denting (probably caused by either landing or Ironhide falling on him). All together, he didn't look as bad as he could have, though I would have hated to see what he looked like before Ratchet had patched him up.

"So, what did you do today?" Sunny asked suddenly, interrupting me from my scrutiny of Sides' injuries. I stared at him in mild disbelief and he shrugged. "It's what Sides' would have asked."

I nodded slightly. "I learned wi'h daddy."

"What did you learn?" Sunstreaker was clearly trying to keep his mind off his unconscious brother.

"Ana'omy." I waved my hand at his body.

"Anatomy? What, all of it?" he raised an optic ridge and I nodded. "I mean did you learn, like, _all_ of it?"

I frowned slightly. "Ye'. Why?"

"I just thought Ratchet would be less than eager to teach his sparkling about 'anatomy'." he snickered.

I rolled my optics. "He wan' me 'oo be a medic." I said, tracing circles around Sideswipes arm.

"Do you want to be one?"

I shrugged. "I don' know."

"Aww, bonding moment." a croaky voice managed to say.

We glanced down to see Sideswipe smiling weakly.

"Are you okay?" Sunny was on his pedes immediately. "Should I call Ratchet?"

I suddenly realised that Ratchet would NOT be pleased to find me here in the middle of the night without him, and was thankful when Sideswipe shook his head quickly. "No, I'm fine. I just wanna go back to berth."

Sunny nodded. "Then go back to recharge. I'll be here when you wake up."

Sides shook his helm. "I meant I want to recharge in my berth, not in the med bay." he said, running his hand comfortingly down my back. I leaned into him, al pay falling back to recharge.

Sunny hesitated. "You're meant to stay in the med bay, Sides."

Sideswipe snorted. "When have we followed instructions? Just help me up." he said, wincing as he pulled himself into a sitting position.

Sunny helped him off the medical berth and to the ground. I stayed on the berth, watching as Sides swayed slightly before regaining his balance.

Sunny glanced back and helped me to the ground, before turning back and helping Sides limp to the door. I followed, unsure of what I could do to help.

When we reached Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's quarters, I smiled. "Bye." I waved slightly and turned to begin walking back to mine and Ratchet's quarters.

"Whoa, where are you going?" Sideswipe demanded from behind me.

I turned to see both the twins standing in their doorway and frowning slightly. I pointed down the hall. "Room."

Sunny rolled his eyes and motioned into their quarters. "Come on. We're not going to let you wander back to your quarters on your own and let you wake up Ratchet. I'm guessing he doesn't know you're not in the room?"

I nodded slowly and began walking back towards them. Sunny picked me up and brought me inside, while Sideswipe stumbled around. "What are you doing?" I asked sideswipe curiously as he looked over a desk.

"I'm searching for paint." he answered absently.

"Wai' for morning." I frowned slightly.

Sideswipe shook his helm painfully. "I can't. Look at me! My paint job is a mess!"

"No one i' going 'oo 'ee you 'onigh'." I reminded him.

He hesitated before glancing at Sunny, who shrugged unhelpfully. "Fine." he vented.

Sunny began to push both of their berths toward each other, until both berths formed one.

Sides fell on the red berth and Sunny crawled onto the yellow berth, so I crept into the middle of them both.

I was asleep in minutes, and the last thought on my mind was "Ratchet is so going to kill me when he wakes up and I'm not there."


	9. Chapter 9

"Molly? C'mon, wakey wakey." Sideswipe's voice said softly in my audio receptor.

I shifted slightly, slowly coming out of recharge. I blinked my optics twice, until my vision sharpened and I saw Sideswipe leaning over me. I glanced around and saw Sunstreaker in the corner, messing with something large and white that looked like an enormous sheet of paper. My internal chronometer said it was only 6.43 am "Early." I complained.

Sideswipes lips quirked up into a smile. "Sorry, sweetspark. Me and Sunny have to go on patrol this morning." he said, patting my helm.

I scowled sleepily and sat up. My joints squeaked slightly as I stretched.

Sunny walked over to where Sides was sitting on the berth. I frowned slightly as I noted the splotches of paint on the hands and chassis. "We should get going." he said, not noticing my frown.

I stood up on the berth and reached out, poking his arm. He just looked at me blankly, so I said "Why do you have pain' on your arm?"

Sides smiled slightly and looked up at his twin. "Show her."

Sunstreaker hesitated for a minute before walking back to what I had originally thought was a huge piece of paper. It was a canvas, I realised as he picked it up and carried it carefully over to where Sideswipe and I were still sitting. He turned it around so I could see it, and I could actually feel my optics widen.

It was one of the most beautiful paintings I had ever seen. It showed me sleeping next to Sideswipe, curled up against his chassis. He made it look so lifelike with broad strokes of his brush, yet at the same time it looked like something out of a fairy tale. Sideswipe was almost glowing, and had his arms wrapped around my tiny frame while I had a servo curled around his fingers. We both looked incredibly peaceful, despite the obvious denting in Sideswipe's armour.

Sideswipe snickered at my astounded expression. "Sunny got up extra early just to paint." he grinned.

Sunstreaker scowled and pushed slightly at his brother. "Don't call me that." he said irritably, still watching my face.

"Molly calls you 'Sunny' all the time." Sideswipe pointed out.

"No, she calls me 'Unny'. Completely different."

"Oh, my bad Unny."

I scowled at him, before turning back to Sunstreaker. "I's beau'iful."

Sunstreaker smiled. "Thank you." he said quietly.

A sudden wave of anxiety and panic washed into my spark all of a sudden, and it took me a few moments to realise it was coming from my sparkbond with Ratchet.

"What's wrong?" Sunstreaker was clearly startled by my optics widening.

"Daddy awake."

The twins glanced to each other, looking horrified. "Slag." they said simultaneously.

Sideswipe snatched me up from the berth, causing me to let out an undignified yelp. He legged it out the door with Sunny hot on his heels.

They tore up the corridors until they reached the rec room. Thankfully there weren't many soldiers around the place to be crushed.

The twins burst through the door with me clinging tight to Sideswipes chassis, and froze when they saw Ratchet standing in the middle of the room looking half anxious and half murderous.

He turned and looked like he was about to have a spark attack. "Molly!" he almost ran over, but somehow managed to keep some self control as he snatched me out of Sideswipe's arms. Sideswipe let me go, stepping back nervously in clear apprehension of Ratchet's wrath.

Ironhide, who was sitting on one of the huge couches behind the medic, snickered as Ratchet's paternal side showed. He fell silent at Ratchet's growled warning. Ratchet continued petting my back as if he were trying to soothe an upset baby, despite the fact that I had shown no signs of being distressed. "Where were you?" he asked me, leaning back so he could see my face. "I was so worried when I came out of recharge and you were gone."

I hesitated slightly before glancing at the twins. "Wi'h twins."

Sideswipe rubbed his helm awkwardly. "Umm.. Yeah."

Ratchet turned his helm to stare at them. "What? She was in her berth! I tucked her in!"

"I climbed ou'." I admitted sheepishly.

From behind Ratchet, Jazz was snickering. "Nice." he nodded approvingly.

Ratchet glared furiously at him, before turning his gaze on me and softening the glare to a scowl. "Why?"

"'Ide'ipe wa' hur'." I frowned slightly. I had thought that that had been fairly obvious.

Ratchet vented in annoyance. "I told you he'd be fine!"

I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could, Optimus came in. His optics fell on me and he raised an optic ridge. "Ah. I see you've found her."

Ratchet held me closer and growled quietly. "She was with the twins."

Optimus glanced at Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. "Well, I'm sure they took good care of her."

Sunstreaker nodded immediately. "Of course we did."

Ratchet vented again, and loosened his hold on me slightly. "You're okay?" he asked me worriedly.

I smiled, ignoring the tingling sensation of Ratchet's scans as they ran over my body. "Yep. Promise."

There was silence for a moment as Ratchet looked over the results of the scan. Seemingly content with what he found, he nodded once and set me down. "Come here, Sideswipe." he ordered.

Sideswipe edged forward apprehensively. "You're not going to throw a wrench at me, are you?"

Ratchet shot him a dirty look. "No. I want to check your injuries." he snapped, pulling Sideswipe's arm up to inspect it.

Sideswipe winced as Ratchet's fingers brushed off a loose wire on his forearm. "Ow."

"Mech up." Ratchet snapped, prodding the wire back into place.

The doors of the rec room slid open and Will and Epps came in, arguing about something. Will glanced up and caught sight of me standing next to Ratchet. "Hey, there you are. You had us worried."

"She was with the twins." Ratchet snarled, ignoring Sideswipe's wince as his fingers tightened.

Will nodded. "Ah. Probably should have guessed."

Ratchet's optics narrowed. "Hmph. Next time, I swear to Primus, I'll-" his voice lowered to muttering that was so quiet only Sideswipe could hear. Whatever he said must have had some sort of effect as Sideswipe grimaced and recoiled slightly.

Epps snickered and leaned over to Will. "Imagine what he'll be like when she's a teenager." he whispered.

Will blanched slightly. "Oh, god." was all he said.

Ratchet turned his narrow stare on the two soldiers. "What did you say?" he demanded.

Epps grinned nervously. "I was just telling Lennox that a cold front will be moving in off the west, so the weather ain't gonna be that great from tomorrow onwards."

Will nodded. "Yeah, that's totally what he said." he agreed quickly.

Ratchet growled and shook his helm, choosing to ignore Jazz snickering.

I glanced around the rec room boredly. there didn't seem to be anything to do.

"Alright." Ratchet let go of Sideswipe, who stepped back in relief. "Your arm is f-"

Ratchet's sentence was cut short by an enormous explosion that rocked the walls.

Will and Epps leapt to attention, grabbing their guns. "Decepticons?" Epps yelled as Ironhide's cannons powered to life.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe activated their weapons too as Sunstreaker swept me into his arms, glaring around.

Ratchet stiffened for a moment, glancing to Optimus, who seemed to be communicating with someone over his comm link. After a moment, the Prime relaxed. "Calm down. It was just Wheeljack."

Ironhide powered down his cannons, looking faintly disappointed. "Damn." he muttered.

Sunstreaker hesitated for another moment before powering down his weapons too."Did he blow up the entire base?" he asked irately, cradling me to his chassis.

"For Primus' sake." Ratchet face-palmed. "I don't know what to do with him. Do you think if I refuse to repair him, he'll stop blowing himself up?"

Jazz snorted. "Doubt it. He'd prob'ly try an' fix 'imself. Not tha' it wouldn' be amusing. He'd prob'ly blow up the entire island." he said thoughtfully.

Ratchet huffed. "I suppose I'll have to see how much damage he's wreaked on himself this time." he said tiredly, heading for the door.

"Hang on! I thought the lab we built for Wheeljack was bombproof!" Will said sharply, looking to Optimus.

It was Sideswipe who answered him with a snort. "'Bombproof' and 'Wheeljackproof' are two completely different things."

Lennox sagged slightly. "Great."

"We will fix it, Major Lennox." Optimus said soothingly. "And perhaps get Wheeljack a safer lab."

Ratchet just shook his helm and continued towards the door. I struggled slightly in Sunny's grip, until he looked at me. "Down." I pointed towards the floor.

Sunstreaker frowned slightly. "Why?"

"Wanna go wi'h daddy."

Sunstreaker's frown morphed into a bemused look. "Why?"

"Wanna see 'Jack."

The bemused look turned to completely bewildered. "Why?"

I smacked his chassis in answer, and he lowered me gently to the floor. I hurried out the door after Ratchet in time to see his back disappearing around the far corner. I knew the way to Wheeljack's lab from a previous visit there with the twins, who had wanted blueprints for Ironhide's cannons. They had never told me why.

"Daddy?" I called as I raced after him. I rounded the corner and saw him looking back.

He smiled slightly as I bounded up to him and took my hand gently. "You're coming to assess the damage?"

I nodded proudly. "To help." I beamed.

Ratchet chuckled. "Excellent. I need all the help I can get." he said dryly as he came to the door of Wheeljacks lab.

The door was locked, but that had been expected. It locked as an emergency precaution every time an explosion went off. Ratchet keyed in the code and the door slid open half way, before jamming.

Sighing, Ratchet wrenched it open the rest of the way. "Wheeljack?" he called, stepping inside the smoking lab.

A groan answered, but I couldn't see anything except the acrid smoke billowing around.

"Idiot." I heard Ratchet mutter from behind me. I turned to see him yanking Wheeljack to his feet.

Wheeljack's engine coughed and sputtered slightly, before clearing up. "Oh, hey Ratch." he choked out.

"What the pit were you working on this time?" Ratchet muttered as he ran his scans on Wheeljack.

Wheeljack vented in mild frustration, his vocal indicators lighting up red. "I was trying to mimic the same mass displacement technique I used on Molly's holoform on a Cybertronian form. You know, so that your actual form would be human sized rather than just your holoform." he gestured to the smoking remains of his lab. "It didn't really work."

"What would you even need that for? Does this hurt?" Ratchet asked irritably, poking Wheeljack's shoulder strut.

"Ow. Yes." Wheeljack winced. "And it could be used for a variety of different reasons! I'll tell you when I come up with some."

Ratchet rolled his optics and returned his attention to 'Jacks shoulder. "Dislocated shoulder joint." he muttered vaguely. "You're going to have to come back to the med bay."

Wheeljack sagged, before wincing at the pain as his shoulder moved. "Alright."

"Are you coming to watch, Molly?" Ratcht asked me, reaching out a hand for me to grasp.

"Whoa, why?" Wheeljack frowned. "She doesn't need to see the agony of me getting my shoulder shoved back into place!"

Ratchet rolled his optics again. "She has to learn. Right Molly?"

I nodded and beamed, bouncing alongside them. "Yeah."

Wheeljack vented as we neared the medical bay. "So I get the pain of humilitian as well."

Ratchet grinned for the first time that day. "Just don't cry, and you'll be fine."


	10. Chapter 10

"Molly!" Epps sang, bouncing into the main hangar.

I glanced up from where I was drawing on the floor with giant crayons. It was entirely possible that I was too old to be playing with crayons (Ratchet said that I would be approximately seven or eight in human years), and I knew Prowl would probably glitch if he found out that I drew a picture on the floor of him and Jazz holding hands, but I couldn't help it. "Yes?"

Epps stretched his hand out, apparently trying to hand me a little piece of paper. "Here. I didn't forget!"

I raised an optic ridge and took it gently off him. "What is it?" I asked curiously, holding it up to optic-level.

"It might be easier to read if you did that creepy shrinking thing." he advised me.

I scowled. "It's not creepy." I muttered, but followed his advice and activated my holoform, subspacing my Cybertronian form.

"Still creepy." Epps shook his head and laughed.

I ignored him, focusing my attention instead on the piece of paper. It was a birthday card.

"I hope I got the right one." Epps scratched his neck awkwardly. "I know you don't like pink, because of that time Lennox got you a pink teddy bear a couple of months ago and you chewed it's head off."

I frowned. "I was, like, five. I'm older now."

"Yeah, by a few months." he reminded me.

"I age fast." I shrugged, opening the card to look inside. "Epps, why is the card in Spanish?"

Epps looked blank. "Because the Spanish flag is on the front of the card."

"Yes, I see that. But why did you get me a Spanish birthday card? It's not even my birthday."

"Well," he began. "You're favourite colours are obviously red and yellow, because of the twins." he ignored me as I tried to protest and ploughed on, "Red and yellow are the colours of the Spanish flag. I wrote it in Spanish because I was with Fig and we were drinking tequila and we were just in a Spanish kind of mood, y'know? And it is your birthday. This is the day the Twins found you last year."

I blinked. "Really?" my voice sounded so much softer and quieter when I was in my human holoform. It was weird being shorter than Epps.

He nodded. "Yep. 21st of April. I was gonna get you a present, but then I'd have to try and figure out what a giant alien robot child would want for their birthday."

I thought about this for a moment. "A stick." I decided.

Epps looked blank. "A stick?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Everyone has weapons around here. Ironhide has cannons. Optimus has those weird sword things. My daddy has wrenches. I want a stick. A big one."

Epps nodded dubiously. "Right. I'll look for a stick big enough for you to hammer Decepticon's with."

I beamed. "Cool." I glanced down at the card again and smiled. "Thank you for my Spanish birthday card."

"No problem. Fig can translate, if ya want." Epps turned and roared "FIG!" over his shoulder.

He Spanish soldier jumped and raced over. "Si?"

"Can you translate Molly's card?"

Fig nodded and I handed him the card. He glanced at it and laughed. "Oh hey, this is the card we wrote when we were drunk!"

"The very same, man. Will you translate it?" Epps grinned.

"It says 'To Molly-Dolly-Princess,-" Epps ignored my raised brow, "'- happy eighth birthday (despite the fact that you are only technically one). Hope you have a great donkey-"

At this, I turned to Epps. "A great donkey?"

Epps nodded thoughtfully. "Clearly, we were more drunk than we thought."

Fig grinned. "Will I continue?" he continued at our nods, "'Sorry I didn't get you a present, but I got you a card and a Garda. Love Epps.'"

"What's a Garda?" I asked confusedly.

Epps hummed thoughtfully. "I'm not entirely sure. It could be Lake Garda in Italy. Or, I'm pretty sure the Garda is the Irish police force."

"Why would you get me a member of the Irish police force as a birthday present? I asked, bemused.

"I'm not sure. We were sitting with that Irish soldier, Finbar. No, Fintan! No, Fionn..? No.. Fig, what's the Irish guys name again?"

"It's something Irish.." Fig said thoughtfully. "It definitely sounds Irish.. Oisín? Or Patrick or something.."

Epps hummed. "Maybe if we come up with loads of Irish names, we'll remember what he's called. Séamus? Fiachna? Tiernan? Wait.. Did he even tell us his first name?"

Fig tilted his head. "I can't remember. He could have told us his surname. Oh! Was it Connolly?"

Epps frowned. "I thought Connolly was a Scottish name. Y'know, Billy Connolly? He's Scottish, right?"

"Right." I confirmed.

"You name some Irish names." he pushed my shoulder.

I couldn't use the Internet whilst in my human holoform (Which sucked) so I was stuck with trying to come up with Irish surnames on my own. "Ummm... Maguire? Murphy? Finnegan? Guinness- no, that's a beer.."

"I think we were drinking Guinness last night, too." Epps grinned. "So I guess I could have written the card in Irish, either."

"Except you don't speak Irish." Fig reminded him.

Epps scowled. "I'll have you know my great aunt-in-law was Irish!"

"But you don't speak Irish." I repeated.

"No.. But I could have used Google Translate or something. I mean come on; I did French in highschool! Irish can't be much harder. French was just confusing. I mean, why the hell do you have to grunt in the middle of random words? It's ridiculous." Epps shook his head.

Fig shrugged. "Spanish is better."

"You're not going to learn Irish, Epps." I rolled my eyes and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

"Yes, I am! I'll be fluent! In fact, I'll call my great aunt-in-law right now!" he whirled and ran for the nearest pay phone.

I grinned after him and shook my head. "I'm going to the rec room. I'll see you later." I smiled to Fig and he ruffled my hair as I ran off.

I bounced into the rec room and transformed before flinging myself on a couch next to Jazz, who grinned and patted my helm. "Hey, princess. What ya got there?"

I glance down at the card I was still holding. "It's a birthday card." I smiled and handed it to him.

His face plates scrunched up in confusion for a moment as he searched the meaning of 'birthday card' on the Internet. "Oh. I didn' realise we was followin' human tradition."

"We aren't." I said quickly. "Humans just do it every year."

Jazz nodded in understanding and opened the card. The confused look returned. "What language is this in?"

"Spanish." I laughed.

He tilted his head, clearly translating it through the Internet. "Wha's a 'Garda'?"

"Epps isn't really sure. He was drunk- that means intoxicated- when he wrote it. He thinks it could mean a member of the Irish police force."

Jazz blinked his optics. "He got you a mem'er o' the Irish police force fo' a birthday present?"

"No, he didn't actually get me anything other than the card." I laughed. "But he said he's gonna get me a stick."

Jazz looked confused again. "A stick?"

"A big one." I nodded.

"Okay." Jazz said, clearly deciding to not bother asking. "Hey, Epps."

I glanced over at the door to see Epps shuffle in, followed by another man behind him. "Hey, Jazz".

"Did you talk to your great aunt-in-law?" I grinned, leaning forwards.

Epps nodded. "Yeah. Turns out, she doesn't speak Irish. She's actually Polish. She just lives in Ireland. And apparently, it's 3am in Ireland, so she swore at me in Polish for about five minutes."

I snickered at him while Jazz's confused look returned again.

"Anyway," Epps cleared his voice. "This is Andrew. He's the Irish guy."

The man behind Epps waved awkwardly. "Uh, hi. You can call me AJ."

I raised an optic ridge. "Andrew? That's the Irish name you were trying to come up with?"

Epps scowled and glanced to AJ. "Tell me your surname is super-Irish."

"Uhh.. It's Smith.."

"Damn it!" Epps yelled, hitting the wall.

"Ha.. Smith.." I snickered.

AJ looked totally bewildered. "What's-" he broke off as Epps grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close.

"Please tell me you were once a Garda." he pleaded.

AJ looked terrified. "Wha- no! I moved to the U.S when I was eleven! When would I have been part of the Gardaí?"

"Aha! 'Gardaí'! That's the Irish name for it, right?" Epps yelled triumphantly, as if he had somehow proved a point.

"Umm.. It's the plural. You know.. One Garda, many Gardaí?" AJ was attempting to pry Epps' hand off his shirt.

"Do you know Irish?"

"W-What?" AJ looked totally bewildered. I had to feel kind of sorry for him, but it was a hilarious scene to watch. I could feel Jazz shaking in silent laughter beside me.

"Do you speak Irish? I need to learn off someone."

AJ stared at him. "Uh.. I learned a bit at school.. Not much though.."

Epps grinned. "Good enough. You're gonna teach me." he dragged AJ out the door. AJ gave us a pleading look, but there wasn't a chance that we would be able to get him back from Epps.

"Well. Tha' was amusing, even if I don' know wha' it was about." Jazz grinned, lounging back.

I giggled and stood up. "Long story." I said, heading back to the main hangar.

I walked in just in time to see Prowl gaping at my crayon drawing of him and Jazz on the floor. He raised his helm to the ceiling. "MOLLY!" he roared.

I panicked and whirled around, running for my life back down the corridor. I ignored Jazz, who had poked his head out the door of the rec room at the sound of Prowl's shout and was watching me run past him. "Wha' did you do?" he called after me, but I had already turned the corner.

I burst into one of the smaller hangars, ignoring the stares of the soldiers as I raced for the door. Once outside, I slipped in the mud and fell on my aft. I hissed in pain and jumped back up, running again the moment I was back on my pedes. I could see the shiny paint job of the twins in the distance as I ran towards them.

:• Molly?•:

I jumped in surprise at the unexpected comm. from Ratchet. :• Yes, daddy?•:

:•What did you do to Prowl? He's raging around and yelling your name. He looks like he's only a few kliks away from glitching.•:

:•Oh. Well, that's unfortunate•: I subspaced my birthday card carefully, not wanting it to get damaged if I fell in the mud again.

:•Molly. What did you do?•: Ratchet asked sternly.

:•Hmm? I think.. kch.. Breaking- kch.. Up.. Can't.. Kch hear.. Kch.. Dad..?•:

:•Molly. I know you're making those noises yoursel-•: Ratchets voice cut off as I shut the comm link.

Sideswipe was looking at me curiously as I raced over to him. "Molly? What happened to you?"

"Nothing." I managed to say as my cooling fans kicked in to cool my heated systems. I may have ran a bit too fast. "I drew a really pretty picture. I don't think Prowl liked it."

Sunstreaker raised his optic ridges as he transformed into his bipedal form. "What was the picture of?"

I waved the question away. "Not important. I think Prowl's out to deactivate me."

Sideswipe snickered. "Yeah, we heard his shriek from out here."

"Is that him?" Sunstreaker narrowed his optics as he stared in the direction of the base.

I turned to see a very annoyed-looking shape marching in our direction. I yelped and dove for Sideswipe's legs. "Protect me!"

"Ewww, Molly, you're all muddy!" Sideswipe groaned.

"Sorry." I whispered as Prowl stopped just in front of the twins.

"Where is she?" he growled.

"Who?" Sideswipe said airily.

"Sideswipe." Prowl growled warningly. "I saw her run this way. It doesn't take a genius to figure she was going to run for you two."

"Obviously, if you figured it out." Sunstreaker pointed out.

Prowl glared at him. "Watch it, Sunstreaker. There's a cell in the brig waiting for you."

Sunny shifted slightly. I knew he hated the brig; it was damp and smelly, and he wasn't allowed his waxes down there. I poked my head out from behind Sides to see how pissed Prowl looked.

He looked pretty pissed.

"I just want to talk to her." he growled at the twins.

My grip on Sideswipe's legs tightened slightly. If by 'talk' he meant 'rip Molly's head off' then yes, he wanted to have a rather long chat.

"Talk about what?" Sunstreaker crossed his arms over his chassis.

Prowl stiffened. "About her drawing on the floors of the base."

Sideswipe hid his smirk well. "What did she draw?" he asked innocently.

Prowl glared at him. "Nothing of your concern."

"If you want to talk to her, then it is our concern." Sunny pointed out.

Prowl growled. "I can see her hiding behind Sideswipe's legs, you know."

I stiffened slightly, before sagging in defeat. I had clearly grown since the last time I hid behind Sides' legs from an angry mech. "Hey, Prowler." I said sheepishly, stepping out from behind Sideswipe.

His optics narrowed. "Don't call me that."

"Why? Is only Jazz allowed to call you that?" I asked innocently.

One of Prowl's optics twitched, but before he could answer there was a roar of an engine and a sleek silver Corvette pulled up next to us. Jazz transformed, a huge grin on his face. "I saw Molly's picture. Is tha' wha' made ya almos' glitch? I thought it was pretty good."

I beamed at him. "Thanks."

"No problem, li'l lady. The shadin' was impressive, considerin' it was crayon."

"Jazz!" Prowl hissed in annoyance.

"Wha'? It's the kids birthday. Give 'er a break, Prowler." Jazz's visor winked in the sunlight.

Sideswipe blinked, then looked down at me. "Birthday?"

I nodded. "Um, yeah. It's a human tradition. Every year-"

Sideswipe cut me off. "I know what it is, but I didn't realise it was today."

I shrugged. "I didn't either. Apparently, this is the day you and Sunny found me last year."

Sideswipe tilted his head as he thought about this. "Oh. It is."

Jazz grinned. "Apparen'ly, she's havin' an Irish themed birthday."

"Spanish, actually." I corrected.

Jazz's visor dimmed then brightened in the equivalent of a blink. "Then why tha' hell was Epps rantin' on abou' tha' Irish guy he dragged into tha' rec room?"

"I think he was the Irish guy that had gotten drunk with him last night." I smiled.

Jazz shook his head. "Humans are weird." he stated. Sunstreaker was still staring thoughtfully off into the distance when Jazz slapped his shoulder. "C'mon! Let's go inside. I'll show you Molly's picture."

"No!" Prowl whirled, transformed, and drove away towards the base.

I stared after him, dismayed. "He's going to wash my picture away, isn't he?"

Sunny patted my helm. "It's okay. You can always draw another one. Although it might be better to draw it on paper this time. I can lend you a canvas."

I beamed. "Really?"

Sunny nodded and smiled slightly. Jazz knelt down and grinned and me. "Plus, I took a picture of it before I left to see where you guys were." he tapped his helm knowingly.

I grinned. "So it's not gone?"

Jazz shook his head, and a moment later there was a beep as my CPU informed me I had mail. I opened up the attachment and grinned at the photo of my picture.

The choking laughs coming from the twins told me that Jazz had sent them the picture too. "Oh, Primus. No wonder Prowl glitched." Sideswipe snickered.

"Did you send this to everyone?" Sunstreaker smirked.

Jazz grinned evilly. "I did. Includin' Prowl."


	11. Chapter 11

There was nothing to do.

I leaned my helm boredly against the wall of the rec room. All the other 'bots had gone on a reconnaissance mission to scout out a possible location for the Decepticon base of operations, so I was the only Cybertronian left on the Autobot base.

"Hey, Molly Dolly."

I glanced up to see Will walk in, grinning. I just rolled my optics. "Don't call me that."

He laughed. "You're mirroring Sunstreaker, you know that?"

I said nothing and pushed myself to my feet. I towered above him now; he only reached my upper thigh. Ratchet had discovered that I aged eleven months to every month, even though the ageing rate was slowing down. In human years, I would have been eleven or twelve. I had always hated being twelve when I was a human; all I had wanted was to be thirteen, so I could call myself a teenager.

"Well, I was thinking.." Will began.

"That's never a good sign. Are you alright? You didn't overwork yourself?"

"Shut up. Anyway, I was thinking maybe you should go to school or something." Will said, smiling uncertainly.

I stared at him. "What? No."

"Molly, just think about it. It could be good for you."

"Why would I go to school though? It's completely pointless. I can download whatever information I want."

Will sighed. "Yeah, I know that. But think about it; you could have friends!"

"I have friends." I protested, frowning.

Will sighed. "I meant friends your age. Ones that aren't soldiers."

I vented. This wasn't the first time Will had brought up the whole 'you-should-have-friends-your-age' thing. He figured that I didn't know what other girls were like, and I couldn't tell him that I did know because I used to be human.

Will clearly took my silence to mean I was considering it. "I asked Ratchet and-"

"You asked my dad?! Why?" I groaned, but I already knew why. If Will told Ratchet that it was in my best interest, then of course Ratchet would agree.

"Because I needed his support. I mean think about it Mollzers-" I frowned at the nickname, but he ignored it, "You need some female friends that are your age, so you can talk about what ever it is girls your age talk about."

"Will, I highly doubt any other girl my age is a sentient alien robot." I pointed out.

Will nodded. "No, I suppose they wouldn't be. When I was a teenager, girls SEEMED like an alien species though."

I laughed despite myself. "I don't think that's the same."

Will shook his head. "I was thinking the same thing. But it'll be easy! All you have to do is talk about unicorns and stuff! They'll love you!"

"Will.. What can I even say to that?"

"How about 'Oh wow, Will! That's such an amazing idea!'" he suggested.

I smiled slightly. "That's not even close to what was running through my processors. And I seriously can't go to school. I age super fast, remember?"

"Yeah, but Ratchet said its slowing down. We had a discussion." Will informed me confidentially.

"What did he say?" I asked, staring at him.

"A load of medical stuff I didn't understand. What I did understand, when he dumbed it down for me, was that the growth rate is slowing and that you'd be, like, immortal by the time you're eighteen or nineteen."

I laughed. "I'm not a vampire, Will."

"I know.. Maybe immortal is the wrong word. Point is, you'll age at the same rate as the rest of the Autobots. Which is slowly." Will smiled awkwardly. "So you could go to school. If people get suspicious, we could move you."

I said nothing for a long time. It didn't sound too bad.. But the Primes brought me back to live a Cybertronian life, not a human life. "I don't know, Will.."

"Try it." he insisted. "If you don't like it, we won't make you. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker would kill us if we tried."

I hesitated. "How long do I have to try it for?"

"As long as you want." Will said smoothly.

"A week?"

"Maybe a bit longer than a week."

I pursed my lips thoughtfully. "I'll think about it." I said at last.

Will beamed. "Thank you. I'll see you later." he patted my elbow, which was the highest place he could reach without me bending down.

"See you." I said absently as he walked away. Once he left, I groaned and lay face down on the floor. I just lay there for a few minutes until the door of the rec room opened up again. Thinking it was Will again, I didn't move.

There was silence for a long moment as whoever had entered the room stared at me. "What," Sunstreaker said at last, "Are you doing?"

I raised my helm sharply to see him staring at me. "Oh, you're back. I'm just lying here."

Sunny nodded. "Yes. I can see that. I actually meant 'Why are you lying on your face?'" he clarified.

I smiled awkwardly. "I'm thinking."

He rolled his optics."Could you not think on the couch?" he asked, putting out his hand.

I took it and he pulled me to my pedes. "No. I think better lying down." I shrugged.

Sunstreaker nodded. "Alright. What were you thinking about?"

I groaned and flopped on the couch. Sunny sat next to me, saying nothing. "Will wants me to go to school." I told him, sprawling my legs across his.

He relaxed into the couch and raised his optic ridges. "School? Like, human school?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Human school."

"Why?" he asked, patting my helm gently.

"He seems to think I need friends." I smiled slightly.

Sunstreaker huffed slightly. "You have me and Sideswipe." he pointed out. "What more could you need?"

I smiled slightly and rested my helm on his golden shoulder. "I do have you two. But he meant 'girls my age'."

"You're a femme. Girls are human." he reminded me.

I shrugged. "I suppose so. Hey, speaking of Sideswipe, where is he?" I added.

"He's gone to the medbay. Whoa- relax he's fine." Sunstreaker reassured me as I sat up suddenly.

"What happened to him?" I asked as Sunny pulled me back down.

"Relax. He's fine. Just a little scratch. Barely marked his protoform." he said soothingly.

I frowned. "His protoform? That doesn't sound like a little scratch."

Sunstreaker laughed. "You've been spending too much time with Ratchet."

"He IS my dad." I reminded him. "And it's a good thing too, otherwise I wouldn't know the difference between a 'scratch' and a serious injury when it comes to you two."

He grinned. "He's on his way now. It was only a cosmetic injury."

I nodded and rested back against the couch again, stretching my legs over his again. "I'll take your word for it. This time." I grinned.

He grinned back as Sideswipe walked in, mumbling to himself. He stomped over and put his servos on his hips. "Move over," he commanded, gesturing to the couch.

I grinned. "What's the magic word?" I asked, just to be annoying.

"Just move." he growled, lifting me into his arms and falling onto the couch next to Sunny before placing me on his lap.

I shifted so I was lying on Sides with my legs thrown carelessly across Sunny. "Oh, you're in a good mood." I grinned at him.

He ignored me, tilting his helm back to rest on the back of the couch and offlining his optics. "Damn Decepticreeps."

Sunstreaker smirked at him over my helm. "It was your own fault. You should have waited for me before engaging the enemy."

"It was only Skywarp, for Primus' sake! I would have crushed him, except Sideways came up behind me." Sideswipe complained.

Sunstreaker rolled his optics. "Whatever. Molly's going to school." he informed him.

"What?" I asked, turning to stare at Sunny.

Sunny didn't answer, and Sides grinned. "Really? That should be fun."

"Whoa. I never agreed to school." I protested.

Sunny shrugged. "I think it would be a good idea. Lennox had a point."

I groaned and tilted my helm back. "I refuse to discuss this further."

"C'mon, kid." Sideswipe laughed. "You might enjoy it."

I wanted to tell him that I hadn't enjoyed it the first time, therefore would not enjoy it the second time, but restrained myself. "I'll think about it."

The doors slid open again and Wheeljack, Ratchet and Ironhide came in, all arguing about something.

The twins and I fell silent, choosing to watch as Ironhide growled at Wheeljack. "I would rather not take the chance."

"It's perfectly safe!" Wheeljack insisted.

"How many times did it blow up for you to decide that it was 'safe'?" Ratchet asked tiredly.

Wheeljack hesitated. "Was I meant to keep count?"

Ironhide groaned. "You're going to offline us all."

"I would never do that!" Wheeljack looked outraged, before he paused for a moment and added "Intentionally."

Ratchet blew an annoyed gust of air from his vents and turned his attention to me. "Hello, sweetspark. Have you been well?"

I could feel the tell-tale tingling of his scans brush over me. He was constantly scanning me to measure my growth, energon intake, everything. "I'm fine."

Ironhide was smirking at the twins. "Aw. Did the battle with the Decepticons make you go soft?"

I could feel Sunstreaker stiffen under me as he narrowed his optics to glare at Ironhide. "Excuse me?" he growled angrily.

Ironhide grinned. "I just wouldn't have pegged you as a cuddler."

I was almost thrown to the floor as Sunstreaker lunged for the weapons specialist.

Sideswipe jumped up to restrain him, and I actually was thrown to the floor as I was flung off his lap.

Ratchet yelped and grabbed me up. "Are you alright?" he fussed over me.

I nodded quickly. "Yeah, fine. It just surprised me."

Sunstreaker was still growling angrily as he tried to get to Ironhide, and Sideswipe was just about able to hold him back. Ironhide, on the other hand, was grinning madly as he activated his cannons and raised an optic ridge in an obvious challenge.

Ratchet vented. "Idiots." he muttered irritably before raising his voice. "Stop, before I rewire you into toasters." he glared at the three mechs and picked me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and rested my head on his shoulder plating. I was a bit big to be carried (I reached up to Ratchet's upper abdominal plating, approximately where a humans ribs would have been, when I stood), but Ratchet didn't seem to be bothered by my weight so I didn't protest.

"Let go." Sunstreaker snarled at Sideswipe as he struggled against his grip.

"Sunny, c'mon stop!" Sides pleaded.

Ratchet vented again and shook his head. "Sunstreaker, Sideswipe?" he rumbled. When both mechs turned their heads to look at him, he continued. "Next time you throw my sparkling to the floor like that, I will switch your soap to paint stripper, understood?"

The twins blinked. Sideswipe's mouth plates fell open in an 'o'. "Did we hurt you?" he asked me, letting go of Sunny and straightening up. Sunstreaker didn't make a move towards Ironhide, clearly taking Ratchet's threat seriously.

Ratchet snorted. "You didn't even notice it happened!"

"It okay, daddy." I said quietly. "I'm fine."

He narrowed his optics and looked me over, before fingering a dent in my shoulder plating. He didn't get a chance to say anything as Wheeljack stepped forwards and waved. "Hey Molly."

I grinned at him. "Hey 'Jackie."

"How are you?" he asked casually, as if the almost-brawl between two of the most volatile mechs on base didn't phase him in the slightest.

"Um.. Good, thanks. Apparently, I'm going to school. How are you?"

"I'm great!" Wheeljack's helm fins lit up enthusiastically. "My sub-atomic proton blaster didn't blow up AT ALL today! What is school?"

Ratchet vented quietly. "It's a place where humans go and learn. I suppose Major Lennox told you, then." he said to me. I nodded, but didn't say anything. "I think you should try it."

"The twins already got me to agree to try it." I told him, burying my head in his neck cables.

"Did they?" I could sense Ratchet eyeing the twins over my helm. "Maybe they're good for something other then making Prowl glitch."

"Hey, your daughter's pretty good at that, too." Sideswipe pointed out, grinning.

"Well, I wasn't the one that taught her!" Ratchet snapped irritably.

Sideswipe held up his hands in surrender. "Oka-ay." he said slowly.

Ratchet turned back to me. "We already have a school picked out." he informed me.

I blinked in surprise. "How long have you been planning this?"

Ratchet smiled slightly and shrugged. "Long enough."

"Go, go, go! Aw, slag! How did he miss that?!" Sideswipe was yelling at the TV.

Sunstreaker shook his head frustratedly. "Idiot fleshy. The linebacker was wide open."

The twins were watching football on the Autobot sized TV in the rec room. I sat on the floor at their feet, leaning against their legs.

:•Molly?•:

I jumped at the unexpected comm. from Ratchet. :•Yeah?•:

Someone laid their hand on my helm, and I glanced behind me to see Sideswipe looking at me with a raised optic ridge "You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Comm. link startled me." I smiled at him. He nodded and leaned back again, turning his attention back to the game.

:•Where are you?•: Ratchet asked.

:•With the twins. Why?•:

There was silence for a moment, and I could imagine him huffing. :•I guessed that. I meant whereabouts are you?•:

:•Rec room. Is everything okay?•:

:• Yes, yes, yes, everything's fine. Meet me at Wheeljack's lab•: Ratchet answered tersely.

:•Aw, did he blow himself up again? I didn't hear any explosions. Oh, he set himself on fire again, didn't he? He did that yesterday, too•:

:•Wheeljack is fine. Just meet me at the lab, sweetspark•: Ratchet repeated before cutting off the comm link.

I vented and heaved myself up. The twins gave little sounds of protest when I blocked the TV.

"Molly! Get your aft out of the way!" Sideswipe whined, nudging me with his ped.

I jumped to the side and grinned at them. "I'll be back in a while."

"Where are you going?" Sunstreaker asked, keeping his optics trained on the football game.

"Wheeljack." was my only answer.

"Did he set himself on fire AGAIN?" Sideswipe asked, rolling his optics.

"No. Apparently he's fine." I laughed as I exited the room. I headed down the corridors towards Wheeljack's lab.

Ratchet opened the door when I knocked and ushered me in. "Ready to see what we've been working on?" he asked excitedly.

I grinned at him. "You've been working with Wheeljack? You always said that he'd be the end of you."

Wheeljack turned around, looking wounded. "What?"

Ratchet waved a hand airily. "It's alright when he blows himself up, as long as he doesn't blow ME up."

I laughed. "All right. So what is it you've been working on?" I asked, heaving myself up to sit on Wheeljack's work bench.

Wheeljack bounced slightly, before gesturing grandly to a large circular metal shape in the wall. "Ta-da!"

I blinked at it. "What is it?"

"It's a ground bridge." Ratchet beamed proudly.

"What does it do?"

"It transports matter through time and-" Wheeljack began, but Ratchet cut him off.

"You go through it and you arrive anywhere on the planet." he told me.

I gaped at it. "That is SO cool." I said at last. "Why'd you build it?"

"To get you to school."

I sagged. "Oh. I was hoping you'd forgotten about that."

Ratchet patted my helm. "Not a chance, little one." I groaned and leaned into him as he put his arm around my shoulder. "Not a chance."

"Do you want to try it?" Wheeljack asked eagerly.

Ratchet frowned. "I'm not sure if that's-"

"Yeah!" I interrupted, grinning madly.

Wheeljack ran forwards and flicked a switch. The ground bridge powered on with a loud, powerful hum as it slowly lit up blue.

I grinned and stepped towards him. "You're coming through with me, right?"

Wheeljack glanced at Ratchet, who was frowning slightly. "One of us has to stay here, to work the ground bridge."

"I'll go with her." Ratchet stepped forward and took my hand.

I grinned and bounced on my pedes. "Let's go!"

"Hang on." Ratchet pulled me back. "Activate your holoform. We don't know where we'll end up."

I nodded and subspaced my real form, shrinking down to my human holoform. "We don't know where we're going?" I asked once I was fully transformed, tilting my head up so I could see Ratchet's face.

He nodded. "We haven't quite set up the navigation system. We're working on it."

I grinned. "Okay. Are you gonna transform?" I asked him.

He nodded and did so. Once he was in his alt form, his door opened for me to climb inside. I grinned and slipped into the passenger seat.

"Ready?" he asked cautiously.

I laughed and nodded. "Let's go!"

He obeyed and drove forwards, straight for the blue light.


	12. Chapter 12

When Ratchet drove out of the ground bridge, we emerged in an alleyway.

"Where are we?" I whispered, leaning forwards. The blue light of the ground bridge died away.

"I don't know." Ratchet rumbled from the radio. "Are you okay?"

"Yep, fine. That was so cool! We just teleported!" I grinned madly.

Ratchet chuckled, then there was a fizz of sparks and a man appeared in the seat next to me. I screamed and jerked back, causing the man to jump too. "What?" he yelped. He had Ratchet's voice, although it was softer and more human.

"Sorry. You scared me. I didn't realise you had a holoform." I blushed. "Can we go and investigate?"

Ratchet hesitated before nodding. He had dark hair and glasses, and was wearing a paramedics uniform. "I suppose. We can't stay long though."

I grinned and hopped out of Ratchet's alt form. He followed slowly. "Come on." I insisted, grinning. He sighed and shook his head, following me to the mouth of the alley.

The alley opened up onto a much wider street, one that was filled with shoppers and street performers. I grinned and stepped out, eyeing the cobblestone road and the shops all around us.

"Where are we?" I wondered out loud to Ratchet as we walked up the street.

"We're in-" he began.

"No, wait! Don't tell me! I want to guess." I laughed and glanced around. It was an old fashioned street, definitely not in a big town in America. "Are we in a different country?"

Ratchet paused, distracted by a man painted silver. "Yes. A different country. Why has that organic painted himself an artificial colour?"

I grinned at the man. He was standing stock still, clearly impersonating a statue, and pigeons were pecking around his feet. "He's a street performer. He stands really still, and gets money for it. I suppose if he stayed still for long enough the pigeons would sit on his shoulders."

"He gets money for standing still?" Ratchet asked, looking bemused.

I grinned and nodded. "Come on, I want to see more." I looked around as we continued up the street. We weren't in anywhere Mediterranean, it wasn't sunny enough for that.

"Any guesses?" Ratchet smiled slightly.

I pursed my lips and spotted a sign. It was written in Celtic style writing, and seemed to be stating the name of the street. I pulled Ratchet over to it eagerly. I tilted my head slightly at the writing. "Are we in Scotland?"

Ratchet shook his head. "Close, but no."

I glanced around thoughtfully, before looking back at the sign. "Grafton Street..." I said slowly. I had heard that street name before, I was sure of it. I couldn't search it, because Internet didn't work in my holoform. "Dad, we need to fix the Internet to work in my holoform."

Ratchet grinned. "I thought you wanted to guess by yourself."

"I do! I'm guessing.. Give me a second." I thought for a moment, before I accessed my memory banks. I searched for where I had heard 'Grafton Street' before. My eyes widened when I found the memory.

AJ, Epps and myself had been sitting in the rec room, and AJ had been telling us of his childhood in Ireland, which had delighted Epps.

"Oh my Primus... Are we in Ireland?" I asked, eyes wide.

Ratchet nodded. "About time."

My face split into a grin. "No WAY. Epps is gonna be SO pissed when he finds out we didn't bring him with us."

Ratchet smiled patiently. "Indeed. Are you done?"

"We just got here." I frowned.

"Yes, but Wheeljack will be waiting." he reminded me.

"True.. Wait!" I yelped, grabbing his arm and tugging him into a gift shop. "We have to get something for Epps."

Ratchet sighed. "Do we?" he asked as I eyed the contents of the gift shop uncertainly.

"We do." I nodded and picked up an 'I heart Ireland' t-shirt and an English-Irish pocket dictionary. "What size do you think Epps would be?"

Ratchet sighed exasperatedly. "I don't know, Molly."

I thought for a moment. "Probably large, wouldn't you think?"

Ratchet stared at me. "I suppose so..?"

"Don't be so unenthusiastic." I laughed at him. "Do you happen to have money? I think they use euros here."

Ratchet nodded and took out a very shiny looking credit card. "Government issued." he answered my questioning look. "We all have one."

I nodded. "Oh. In that case, I'd better get Will and AJ something too.."

"Oh for Primus' sake.." he sighed.

I ignored his lack of enthusiasm and walked around the little shop. I picked up another t-shirt, this one saying 'Kiss me, I'm Irish'. I turned and grinned at Ratchet. "Do you think AJ will like this?"

Ratchet eyed it with a hint of amusement. "It has the potential to be rather interesting..."

I grinned and folded it across my arm. "Maybe I'll give the 'I heart Ireland' t-shirt to Will and get Epps this one.." I said thoughtfully, holding up a third t-shirt that had something written in Irish across the front. "I don't know what the Irish words mean though."

Ratchet opened his mouth to answer, but before he could a boy of around fourteen glanced up and said "Kiss my ass."

I blinked, startled. "Excuse me?"

"The t-shirt." the boy gestured to the garment in my hands. "You said you didn't know what the Irish on front of it meant. 'Póg mo thóin' means kiss my ass."

"Oh." I could feel a blush spreading from my cheeks. "Right. Sorry. I thought you were telling me to-"

"Okay." Ratchet stepped forward quickly. "Molly, are you paying for that, then?"

I blushed again and nodded. "Yeah, umm.. Okay." I walked over to the counter and set the t-shirts down. I glanced over my shoulder and mentally rolled my eyes when I saw Ratchet giving the boy a 'Don't Touch My Daughter' look. "Dad?"

He glanced up and nodded, making his way towards me and handing the cashier his credit card. He sent one more glower towards the boy before entering his PIN.

I glanced over my shoulder and mouthed 'Sorry' at the boy.

He shrugged and grinned at me. 'It's fine' he mouthed back.

Ratchet handed me the paper bag with the clothes in it. "Here."

"Did I hear your dad call you Molly?" the boy asked, stepping forwards.

Ratchet scowled at him and didn't answer, so I nodded. "Yeah, that's my name."

He smiled. "You tourists?"

I nodded before Ratchet could say anything. "Yup."

"You should go see the statue of Molly Malone. It's just up the road, turn left and walk a few metres." the boy smiled and pointed up the street.

I glanced to where he was pointing and felt a smile spread across my face. "Thanks! Can we go there?" I asked Ratchet.

He eyed me, then sighed. "Fine. But then we have to go." he said firmly.

I grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I promise."

The boy stepped forwards. "I could show you where it is, if you want."

"That'd be great." I smiled kindly, tactically ignoring Ratchet's furious scowl.

"Deadly. It's this way." he said cheerfully, leading us from the shop.

I grinned and wrapped my arm around Ratchet's. "I wish I had a camera or something."

Ratchet glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "Here." he said, pulling a camera out of his inside pocket.

I blinked at it. "Where did you get this?"

"It's part of me." he shrugged.

I decided not to answer that, instead switching it on and whirling around to take a picture of Ratchet's face. I laughed at his startled expression and turned back to walking. I took pictures of a man playing a saxophone, a statue of a poet, a horse drawn carriage, a man painted bronze, and a park across the road.

The boy glanced back and smiled. "That's St Stephen's Green." he called back to us, pointing to the park I had taken a picture of.

"It's pretty." I smiled.

He nodded and grinned. "Like you."

Ratchet stiffened and his glare intensified. I held back my laughter and shook my head. "Thanks."

He grinned. "I'm Michael, by the way."

"Hi, Michael." I grinned back at him.

Ratchet huffed and scowled at him. "Are we almost there?"

Michael turned his grin on my dad. "Yep. It's right there." he gestured to a statue behind him.

I glanced around him to see a woman made of bronze, wearing 18th Century style clothes and pushing a metal wheelbarrow.

"Oh. Cool." I smiled happily and raised the camera. I took a picture of the statue alone, before holding out the camera to Michael. "Can you take a picture of me and my dad with her?"

He nodded. "Sure."

I dragged Ratchet over and wrapped and arm around his waist. He chuckled quietly and put his arm over my shoulders. I grinned at the camera.

"Done." Michael said, holding out the camera. "I took two, just in case."

"Thank you." I said, taking the camera off him.

Ratchet was frowning slightly at the statue. "Her dress is very low." he commented suddenly.

I glanced around and saw her was gesturing at the neckline of Molly Malone's dress, which just about covered her breasts. "It is." I agreed.

"Don't you ever wear something like that." he told me sternly.

I laughed slightly. "It's hardly my style, daddy-o."

"I think you'd look great in that dress." Michael piped up.

I choked on a laugh and Ratchet growled. "We're leaving." he grabbed my hand and pulled me away.

"See you!" Michael yelled after us.

"Bye!" I laughed and waved behind me.

The whole way back to the alleyway, Ratchet swore up a storm. I had to bite my lip to keep myself from laughing at him. "Dad, calm down. He was only kidding."

"No he wasn't, Molly! He was being very serious!" Ratchet growled.

I pursed my lips. "In a joking manner."

Ratchet stared at me. "What?"

"Daddy, he was JOKING!"

Ratchet just shook his head and led me into the alley we had arrived in. Once we were inside Ratchet's alt mode, he let his holoform fizzle out into sparks. "I've comm. linked Wheeljack. The ground bridge should open up right-"

The ground bridge appeared a metre or so behind us. Ratchet stopped talking and reversed back into it.

I closed my eyes against the bright light before it could blind me, and when I opened them again Wheeljack was peering down at Ratchet's alt form, looking excited.

"Well?" he asked eagerly as I slid out of Ratchet's form.

"It was so cool!" I jumped up and down to emphasise my point.

Wheeljack grinned and watched as I transformed back into my Cybertronian form. "Where did you transport?"

"Dublin, Ireland." Ratchet answered, transforming beside me and handing me the paper bag with the gifts.

"Thanks." I smiled, taking the bag off him before I turned to Wheeljack. "It was so much fun! Your invention is great."

He blinked as I hugged him. "Do you really think so?"

"Of course! It's amazing." I released him and stepped back. "I'm gonna go find AJ, Epps and Will."

Ratchet nodded. "I'll see you later, sweetspark."

I waved my goodbye and took off down the corridor. "EPPS!" I roared, tearing into the main hangar.

I saw Epps jump in fright and whirl round. "Molly? What-?"

I transformed into my holoform again as I skidded to a stop, just about stopping before I knocked him over. "I got you a present!" I said eagerly.

He blinked. "Well, that nice. But how? You're not allowed to leave the base-"

"I was with Ratchet." I beamed. "We went to Ireland."

"You went to- what? You went WITHOUT me?" he yelled.

"I'm sorry! But I got you presents!" I insisted, pointing at the bag.

"They'd better be damn good presents." he said, folding his arms across his chest.

I pulled the English-Irish dictionary out of the bag and handed it to him.

His eyes widened when he took it off me. "Oh, awesome! I needed one of these!" he said eagerly.

I grinned. "I also got you a t-shirt." I told him, pulling it out of the bag.

His eyes lit up as he took the t-shirt. "Yes! What does the Irish on it mean?"

"Kiss my ass."

"Excuse me?"

"It means kiss my ass."

"Oh. Oh right." Epps laughed, then pulled the t-shirt on over his army fatigues. "Damn, I look sexy in this shirt."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, you do. Do you know where Will and AJ are?"

"AJ's over there." Epps jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Dunno where Will is."

"When you see him can you give him this?" I handed him the 'I heart Ireland' t-shirt.

"Sure, Molly-Dolly. By the way, the twins are looking for you."

I nodded. "I'll find them in a minute." I called over my shoulder to him, making my way over to AJ.

The Irish soldier turned around as I approached him. "Hey Molly." he greeted me.

"Hey. Guess where I was today." I grinned at him.

"Where?" he humoured me, leaning against the tank he was standing next to.

"Dublin!" I beamed.

AJ blinked. "Seriously? As in Ireland?"

I nodded. "Yeah! It was really pretty."

"Where in Dublin?" AJ leaned forwards.

"Grafton Street." I told him, watching as his eyes grew misty.

"Ah... Grafton Street." he smiled. "Me and my dad used to go there all the time and hang out in St. Stephen's Green."

"Is that the park?"

He nodded. "Yeah. We used to spend hours there."

"I think I took a picture of it." I smiled at him. "Oh, here I got you a t-shirt."

He laughed when he saw it. "'Kiss me I'm Irish'?"

"Dude, she's a bit young for you." Epps appeared at AJ's shoulder. He waved the dictionary at him. "Look what I got!"

"Great." AJ said unenthusiastically.

Epps grinned, flicking through the dictionary. "You're a péineas."

"Oh, that's mature." AJ rolled his eyes.

I laughed. "I'm gonna go find the twins." I told them.

"No! Don't leave me with him and an Irish dictionary!" AJ hissed at me as I walked away.

I laughed at him as I transformed back to my bipedal mode. "Sorry. You're on your own."

He shook his fist halfheartedly at me. "Damn."

I smiled and walked down the corridor to the rec room where the twins had last been. I peeked in, but inside of the red and gold twins sitting on the couch, Jazz and Prowl (who looked bored out of his mind) were watching TV with Ironhide. "Hey," I said to get their attention. "Do you know where Sunny and Sides are?"

Jazz shook his head. "Nah, sorry li'l lady. They were lookin' for ya earlier though."

I nodded. "I know. I thought they were in here."

"Probably out causing mayhem." Prowl glowered.

I smiled at him. "Probably." I pulled back from the doorway and started down the corridor again, comming the twins as I went. :•Hey, were you guys looking for me? I can't find you.•:

Sideswipe replied immediately. :•Yeah, we were. Where did you go?•:

:•Ireland. Where are you now?•: I asked.

:•Irel-? Okay then. We're in our quarters, Molly-Dolly.•:

I groaned out loud. Epps' nickname was catching on. :•Be there in a second•:.

I arrived at the twins' room a few moments later and tapped in the code, before walking in.

Sunstreaker raised his head from where he was painting. "Jeez. You could have knocked."

I laughed and sprawled out on the berth. "I could have." I agreed. "But if you wanted me to knock every time I came to hang out with you then you wouldn't have given me the passcode for your room."

"That's true." Sideswipe said from the corner.

I glanced up at him. "Oh, hey Sides. I didn't see you ther- is that an Xbox?"

"Yep." Sideswipe didn't even glance up. "Apparently, Lennox ordered super-sized Xbox controllers from a gaming company in Japan. There's energon on the table for you, by the way."

"Oh. Cool." I said, taking a glass and downing it. I buried my helm in my arms on the bed.

Sunstreaker glanced at me. "Tired?" he asked, sweeping his paintbrush across the canvas.

"Yeah, kinda." I said, tilting my helm so I could see him. "I went to Ireland today."

Sunstreaker's optics dimmed slightly as he looked up the meaning of this. "The little island beside England? How did you get there?"

"Wheeljack built a ground bridge-"

Sunstreaker's paintbrush dropped and Sideswipe almost crushed the controller as he spun to look at me. "What?" they demanded in synchronisation.

I blinked. "Guys, that's creepy."

"You went through a ground bridge that WHEELJACK made." Sunstreaker stated at me. "Are you insane?"

"No." I said defensively. "It was safe! My dad helped him make it."

They relaxed slightly. "Ratchet helped? You could have said that." Sideswipe rolled his optics and returned to his game.

I scowled at him. "You never gave me a chance. Anyway, it was fun. We were in Dublin, and we walked up a place called Grafton Street, and it was really pretty and old looking... We should go together another time!"

Sunstreaker raised his optic ridges. "To Ireland? Maybe."

"I thought Ireland was full of cows." Sideswipe said, his virtual soldier shooting enemies onscreen.

"Well, we were in the city." I said, deciding to not mention Michael. A message informing me of mail from Ratchet popped up on the forefront of my CPU. I opened the attachments and found the pictures I had taken earlier on today. I looked through them, sending a quick 'thank you' to Ratchet.

"Molly? Why are you smiling like that? It's starting to creep me out." Sunstreaker's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I realised that I had a huge smile plastered across my faceplates, so I quickly wiped it off. "I was looking at pictures I took today." I said, sending both of them the pictures.

Sunny tilted his helm and his optics dimmed as he viewed the pictures. "This was in Ireland?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Very." he muttered quietly, his optics brightening again.

"What's up with the statue?" Sideswipe asked curiously.

"It's Molly Malone." I informed him. "She's, like, a famous person in Ireland. There's a song about her and everything."

"Oh. Wanna sing it for us?" he grinned.

I laughed and shook my helm, "Just google it."

Sideswipe pouted. "But I wanted you to sing."

I laughed again. "No thanks, Sidesy. Too tired."

"You can recharge here, if you want." Sideswipe said, unpausing the game and resuming play.

"Thanks." I yawned, laying my head back on the berth.

I went into a stasis nap, but about half an hour later I was woken up by Sideswipe shaking my shoulder. "Mmf." I groaned.

He chuckled slightly. "C'mon, Mollzers. Wake up."

I sighed and onlined my optics. "Why?"

"Doc bot's on our afts. He's wondering where you are." Sides said, rubbing my back softly as I slowly came fully online.

"He's here?" my helm jerked up to look around the room.

Sunstreaker snorted. "You think we'd open our door to Hatchet? No, thank you. I happen to like my face the way it is."

"He wouldn't hurt you." I laughed, stretching my joints.

This time it was Sideswipe who snorted. "His daughter is currently alone with us in our berth room. He would offline us if we attempted anything."

I rolled my optics. "He knows you wouldn't." I said sleepily.

Sideswipe hummed. "Well, you may have to remind him. C'mon, I'll walk you to your room."

I groaned again. "I don't think I can get up."

"Why not?" Sideswipe asked, sounding vaguely amused.

"Legs aren't working."'

"For Primus' sake, Molly..." Sideswipe grumbled as he scooped me up like I weighed nothing.

I wrapped my legs around him koala-style and rested my head on his shoulder. "Are you coming?" I asked Sunstreaker.

Sunny smirked at me. "It only takes one of us to bring you back to Ratchet." he said, barely pausing in his painting.

"Okay. See you tomorrow." I waved at him over Sideswipe's shoulder.

He glanced up and nodded. "See you."

The door closed behind us and Sideswipe set off down the corridor, humming as he went.

The relaxing vibrations of his spark almost sent me into recharge again, but we were at mine and Ratchets quarters in what seemed like seconds. The door slid open and Ratchet stood in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"Oh.. Hey Ratchet." Sideswipe said sheepishly. "She was with us, she just fell asleep.."

Ratchet vented. "You can put her on the berth." he said, pointing inside.

Sideswipe nodded and stepped inside. He glanced around surreptitiously as he walked towards the berth. "Nice place."

He earned himself a warning growl from my dad. "Just put my sparkling on the berth and get out."

"Dad. Be nice." I said sleepily as Sideswipe laid me gently on the berth.

Ratchet huffed. "I am being nice. I haven't hit him yet."

Sideswipe grinned. "Talk to you tomorrow, sweetspark." he said, patting my helm affectionately.

I nodded tiredly. "'Bye."

"Yes, goodbye." Ratchet said pointedly, standing aside and gesturing to the door.

Sideswipe grinned and started for the door, before he caught sight of the picture of Jazz and Prowl holding hands that Ratchet had printed out for me and stuck on the wall at my request. "I love the decor."

"Sideswipe. Get out."

"See ya, Hatchet." Sides ducked out of sight before Ratchet could hit him.

Ratchet cursed irritably and shut the door. "Arrogant fragger.." be muttered, before remembering I was in the room. "Are you okay? Have you had your energon?"

"I had some with the twins." I murmured, already half ways into recharge.

Ratchet nodded and climbed onto the berth next to me. I cuddled up to him immediately, huddling close for warmth. His arms wrapped around me protectively. "Goodnight, sparkling." he murmured gently, sending love and affection through our spark bond.

"'night." I just managed to say before I slipped into recharge.


	13. Chapter 13

**Review please! :D**

"Are you ready?" Ratchet asked through the radio.

I said nothing, just slid down further in his passenger seat. I peeked out once, eyeing the building with trepidation.

"Molly?" Ratchet pressed.

I winced slightly and sat up straight. "Do I absolutely have to?"

"Yes." He answered shortly.

I glanced at the large stone building again. "Did it have to be a private school?"

"Major Lennox recommended it. His daughter, Annabelle, attends here. It's a good school, sweetspark."

I fiddled with the hem of my skirt. The uniform was annoying the hell out of me; green cardigan and a white shirt, along with a plaid green skirt. PLAID. Not my thing. "What if I don't fit in?" I whispered nervously.

Ratchet was silent for a long moment, before his holoform fizzled to existence beside me. I didn't even flinch this time at its sudden creation, and he pulled me into his arms and hugged me. "You will." he reassured me softly. "Major Lennox's daughter promised she would show you around."

"What age is she?" I asked quietly. I had heard lots about Annabelle from Will and Ironhide, but never heard her age. Will only ever called her his 'little baby girl' and Ironhide refused to talk about her when the twins were around.

"I believe she's seventeen. Not much older than you." Ratchet said comfortingly.

"Two years." I muttered.

Ratchet rolled his eyes. "Yes, but you'll be the same age as her in about two months."

"True." I murmured absently, gazing again at the building. "How are we going to explain that?"

"You are going to be in the same year as Annabelle for now. We have informed the headmaster that you are highly intelligent and are mature enough to skip two years. Hopefully, he won't try and talk to you." he ignored my playful slap and continued. "Your ageing should slow dramatically by the time you reach approximately sixteen. We might be able to get away with saying you had an almighty growth spurt."

I laughed. "Wow. That's a good cover story." I glanced back at the school and my nervousness returned. There were teenagers milling around the steps and the grass at the front, chatting and laughing and messing. "I'm kind of nervous."

Ratchet patted my shoulder. "You'll be fine, sparkling."

I shifted and nodded. He was right. I wouldn't let there be a repeat of what had happened in high school when I was a human teenager. I wouldn't let myself be bullied again. I'd stand up for myself. "Okay. Bye, I guess.."

Ratchet leaned over and kissed the top of my head. "You'll be fine." he repeated, but it seemed as though he were trying to convince himself more than me. "Do you have all your books? And your energon? And did you bring your-"

"Phone? Yeah, I have it." I pulled the small mobile out of my pocket and showed it to him. "I'll see you later, I guess."

Ratchet smiled nervously and nodded. "Comm. me if there's any problems."

"I will." I nodded, sliding out of his alt form and grabbing my school bag. "Bye, dad."

His engine gave a rumble as a way of farewell and he drove down the street and turned into an alleyway, where Wheeljack would open the ground bridge for him.

Twisting my hands nervously, I began walking up the steps and towards the front door. All the kids seemed to stare at me, before I realised I was being paranoid. I stepped inside and headed straight for the front office. Before I even got a metre, a girl tapped my shoulder from behind.

I jumped and whirled around, making a very undignified yelping noise and causing the girl to step back in surprise. "Sorry." I said sheepishly.

The girl just laughed and shook it off. She had wide brown eyes and a pretty face framed by wavy dirty-blonde hair. "I'm Annabelle." she held out her hand.

I was slightly startled, before I remembered the human custom of shaking hands. I stuck my own hand out immediately and blushed. "Umm, I'm Molly."

She shook my hand and nodded. "My dad told me. C'mon, we'd better get you registered." she gestured to the front office. I nodded and followed her lead as she made her way up to the lady behind the desk. Annabelle leaned over and smiled. "Hi there. My cousin is new here, and she needs to pick up her timetable and locker keys."

The lady nodded once, before shuffling through an enormous pile of papers. I took the time to glance at Annabelle. She was definitely older than I had thought she was; Will had almost made her out to be a child. She seemed so much more at ease in the school uniform than I did.

"Here." the lady announced suddenly, placing the papers and keys on the desk. "You gonna show her around?"

Annabelle nodded. "Yep."

The woman shooed us away at that, and Annabelle grabbed my timetable and locker keys for me. She glanced over my timetable as we walked towards my locker. "Hmm... You have Math, English, Biology, French and P.E with me." she smiled cheerfully. "Your locker is the one in the middle there. Do you know how lockers work?" she dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

I bit back a laugh. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm pretty up to date on human culture. Unlike Ironhide."

Annabelle laughed. "It wouldn't be hard to be more up to date than 'Hide." she laughed.

I grinned as I transferred the books from my bag to my locker. Annabelle was sort of fun. "That's true. Umm, what's our first classes?"

"Chemistry, Math and Geography." she consulted my timetable. Her face fell as she glanced up. "I only have one class with you this morning. Don't worry, I'll still bring you from class to class."

I smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks. It's been a while.." I trailed off as I glanced down the crowded corridor.

"Been a while?'" Annabelle questioned curiously.

I stiffened slightly when I realised my mistake. "Umm.. Yeah. Since I've been near humans. Like, teenage humans. Sam and Mikaela haven't visited in a while." There. That wasn't entirely a lie.

Annabelle nodded. "Oh. I get it. It'll get easier, don't worry." the older girl smiled. "C'mon, I'll show you to the Chem lab."

I returned her smile and let her lead me down the corridor that was now teeming with students. She didn't stop chatting the whole way there, reminding me quite forcibly of her father.

"Here we go." Annabelle announced, pausing outside a classroom door and bouncing on her toes. "Will you be okay? I can come in with you, if you want..?"

"No, I should be okay. Thank you, a lot Annabelle." I smiled nervously at her.

She waved her hand. "Hey, it's no problem. You're a lot friendlier than I expected, considering I was told you were Ratchet's kid."

I let out a laugh. "I am Ratchet's kid, but not biologically. I'm kind of his adopted daughter."

"Oh, right. That makes sense. 'Cause I was kinda wondering how they would.. Y'know, reproduce. I asked 'Hide but-"

She was cut off by my spluttering. "You asked Ironhide how we REPRODUCE?"

The people passing us turned to stare, but Annabelle appeared oblivious. "Yes, why? He didn't answer me. Just started mumbling something about having to clean his cannons."

I laughed and shook my head. "Maybe he'll tell you someday, but I can't imagine it. I guess I'll see you next class?"

"Yep. Do you want me to come and find you so I can walk you there?"

I hesitated. "I.. I should be able to find it myself. Thank you."

Annabelle waved her hand. "Stop thanking me. I'll see you later." she smiled and walked back down the corridor.

I turned back to the classroom door and entered. There were only a couple of students there already, so I guessed that class wouldn't start for another couple of minutes. I glanced around awkwardly, looking for a suitable seat.

A boy of about sixteen raised his head and smiled at me. I smiled back nervously and returned my attention to trying to find a seat.

The boy who had smiled at me patted the empty seat next to him and raised an eyebrow.

I hesitated, unsure. After another moment of indecision I took up his offer and slid into the seat next to him.

"I'm Simon." he smiled at me. He had a nice smile, with straight, white teeth and dimple in his cheeks.

"Molly." I smiled back at him shyly. I glanced down at his schoolbag and noted that it was completely covered in badges. "Nice bag."

He grinned and lifted it up onto his lap so I could see it better. "Thanks. It took me, like, three years to collect all the badges."

I grinned as I glanced over them. Some had superhero emblems on them, and others had movie or cartoon characters. "I like that one." I pointed to a badge that depicted Batman hanging his underwear on a washing line.

Simon laughed. "Thanks." he brushed his brown hair out of his eyes and looked at me intently. "So, you're new here?"

"Yeah." I nodded and smiled, glancing away from his eye contact.

"Being a newbie sucks. Do you have someone to show you around?"

I nodded. "My, um.. cousin, Annabelle." I told him.

He drummed his slender fingers against the table top thoughtfully. "Annabelle.. What did you say your last name was?"

"Oh, uh.. Lennox." I said, bobbing my head. I was so terrible at lying...

"Annabelle Lennox... Oh! I do know her! Is she blonde?" Simon asked, snapping his fingers.

"Yep, that's her." I smiled awkwardly.

Simon nodded. "Oh, right. Didn't know she had a cousin. You have weird eyes." he added suddenly.

I blinked, startled. "Wh-what?"

"No offence. But your eyes are weird. They're REALLY bright blue. Bit creepy. They're really pretty, though." he observed.

I shifted uncomfortably, looking away. "Right."

He laughed suddenly. "I hope you don't think I'm hitting on you or anything. I don't play for that team."

"You don't play-? Oh." I blinked in realisation.

He laughed and nodded. "Yep. Keep it on the down low." he leaned in and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I make the homophobes uncomfortable."

"You make me uncomfortable too," I offered, "And I'm not homophobic. I'd consider that a job well done. It's hard to make me uncomfortable."

Simon grinned. "Oh? Why's that?

"If you met my best friends, you'd understand." I laughed.

"Are they guys?" Simon asked.

I hesitated. "Well.. They're male, yeah. They're twins."

"Are they good looking?"

I blinked at him. "I don't feel comfortable answering that question."

Simon just laughed. "Sorry."

We chatted for another few minutes, and I looked him over properly. He had longish, light brown hair that was in need of a trim as it was growing into his eyes, which were a bright and inquisitive brown. He had an infectious smile and seemed honestly friendly.

"See that guy over there, at the front?" he asked quietly.

I glanced over to where he was talking about and saw a blond boy staring boredly ahead at the whiteboard in front of him. "Yeah."

Simon smiled. "His name is Elliott. What do you think of him?"

I glanced at him, startled by the sudden question. "Umm.. He's pretty good looking." I said honestly. "Do you like him?"

Simon blushed and shook his head. "I just wanted to know what you thought."

"You are such a liar." I grinned at him.

He had just opened his mouth to protest when the teacher walked in. He closed his mouth and gave me a pointed look that said 'we'll finish this conversation later'.

I just smiled and turned to face the front as the teacher started the lesson.

Halfway through learning about structural atomic bonding, I got a comm. from Ratchet. :•Hello sweetspark. Is everything okay?•:

I smiled slightly to myself at his concern. It was nice having a parent who cared about you. Better than my human parents had been.. I pushed the thought of them from my mind and turned my attention back to answering my real dad. :•I'm fine. First class is about halfway through•:

:•Oh, good, good. I can't come and collect you, Molly, so one of the twins will have to do it. Is that okay?•:

:•That's fine. My friend wanted to meet them anyway•:

:•You made a new friend?•: Ratchet replied excitedly.

I bit back my laugh. :•Yep. His name is Simon. He's really nice.•:

:•I'm glad. I have to go, sparkling. The bane of my existence has just blown off his arm.•:

:• You mean Wheeljack? Isn't 'bane of my existence' a bit harsh?•: I smiled, sending feelings of amusement down our bond.

:•I thought I was being rather kind. I was going to call him something a lot ruder, but I figured there was no point considering he's offline.•:

:•You put him unconscious?•:

There was a long stretch of silence before Ratchet replied. :•I may have gotten a bit excited and punched him rather hard in the face.•:

:•Dad-•:

:•Oh, he'll be fine! I'll fix his olfactory sensors and he'll look just fine.•: Ratchet replied airily.

:•His olfact-? Oh, you mean his nose?! You busted up his nose?! Primus, how hard did you hit him?!•:

:•Hard enough to earn myself a 'congratulations' from Sunstreaker, apparently•: he replied dryly. :•Wheeljack will be fine, sweetspark. He has an annoying habit of springing right back up. It honestly makes me want to disable his legs.•:

:•Ha. Try not to kill him. I'd miss the fireworks he sets off.•:

:•Fireworks? I think you mean fiery explosions of death. I'm still not convinced he's not secretly a Decepticon in disguise, slowly trying to offline us all with his inventions. I have to go now, he's waking up.•:

:•Okay, bye•: I answered before shutting down the comm. link. I glanced up to see Simon staring at me. "What?" I whispered.

"Nothing. It was like you were off in your own little world." he whispered back, turning to face the teacher again.

I smiled slightly as the bell went off. "I guess I was."

Simon just looked at me as he picked up his bag and slung it across his shoulder. "I was nudging you for ages, but you just kept staring straight ahead. I was starting to get seriously worried."

I forced a smile as I walked to the door with Simon on my heels. "I do that a lot, I guess. Sorry. Hey, I don't know where to go for Math."

"Show me your timetable." Simon said, walking with me down the hall. I dug the page out of my bag and handed it to him. He glanced over it. "Oh. Mr. Fray. He's an ass. Room 34." he pointed down the hall.

I smiled gratefully and took the timetable back. "Thanks, Simon."

"No problem. See you in Geography." he ruffled my hair like I was a puppy.

"Are you in my class?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "Obviously, Molly. Otherwise I wouldn't see you."

Huh. He had a point there.

I laughed slightly and waved goodbye as I head toward Room 34, where Annabelle was waiting.

She stared after him as he walked away. "That guy looks really familiar... What's his name?" she asked as we entered the classroom and sat down.

"Simon."

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Is he going out with a girl called Rachel?"

"I wouldn't think so. He said he's gay." I answered, pulling my maths books from my bag.

Annabelle's face cleared in realisation. "Oh... He's the guy that.. Oh."

I looked up at her at she gazed off into the distance. "What? What did he do?"

She bit her lip. "He.. He wasn't the one who did anything. Last year, a couple of jocks beat him up pretty badly.."

My eyes widened. "Was he okay? Well, he was obviously okay physically, because I was just talking to him, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah.. He didn't come back to school for a couple of weeks, but when he did he just.. Was different. He didn't seem afraid of the bullies. It was impressive." she smiled. "You don't often have people that brave."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah."

The teacher came in a few moments later, and everyone fell quiet as the class started.

"So how was your first day?" Annabelle asked after the last bell of the day had gone.

"Tiring." I smiled, heading for the door.

Simon nudged me. "Yeah, but you got to meet me, so therefore you had a pretty awesome day."

I laughed as we stepped out into the sun together. "True. It's so warm."

"That's just me." Simon waved a hand, ignoring Annabelle's snort.

The blonde girl turned to me. "So, are you being collected by your dad?"

"No, I think one of the twins is collecting me." I answered, glancing around the parking lot.

Simon perked up. "The good looking ones?"

"Ugh, Simon. I'm not answering that question!" I groaned in protest. He just laughed. I spotted Sunstreaker's yellow Lamborghini alt form sitting in a slightly less crowded area of the parking lot. His blond holoform was leaning against the hood, scowling furiously at anyone who came too close. "Oh, there he is!"

Simon and Annabelle followed my gaze. Simon's mouth literally fell. "Oh my- he's gorgeous! How could you not think he's gorgeous?"

I blushed slightly and shook my head. "He's my best friend."

"Still." Simon was still gazing at him with wide eyes. "And he has a Lamborghini? That's not even fair!"

Sunstreaker's alt form was attracting a lot of attention from teenage boys, and his holoform was attracting even more attention from teenage girls. "I'd better go." I smiled at my two new friends.

Annabelle stepped forwards and gave me a hug. "Say hi to my dad." she whispered in my ear, before stepping back and smiling. "See you tomorrow!"

I waved as she bounced off, then started walking towards Sunny. I became aware of Simon following me, and I glanced over my shoulder at him and grinned. "You want me to introduce you?"

Simon grinned back. "Yes please." he slung his arm companionably around my shoulders. "So, does he have a girlfriend?"

"Sunny? No.. And he doesn't have a boyfriend, if that's what you're about to ask. He's not gay. I don't think." I frowned slightly.

"He's so pretty." Simon cooed quietly as we neared Sunny.

I let out a snort of laughter before I could stop myself, earning a raised eyebrow from Sunstreaker. "Hey, Sunny. This is my new friend, Simon."

Simon smiled suavely and held out his hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Sunny looked confused for a moment. "Hi." he said bluntly, not taking Simon's hand.

Simon looked delighted, the rudeness apparently having no effect. "So, you're one of Molly's best friends?"

Sunstreaker nodded, his gaze falling on me, then flicking to Simon's arm around my shoulder, then to Simon. "Yes."

"Awesome." Simon whispered. "You guys should come to my house sometime. We could.. watch a movie or something."

"Sure." I smiled, pleased with how the day was going.

Sunstreaker, however, frowned. "We'll see. We have to go now." he said shortly, turning and climbing into his alt form.

I smiled apologetically at Simon. "He's always like that."

Simon kept his gaze on Sunny's holoform. "Hey, I like that. It's like a challenge. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

I nodded and struggled not to laugh as he waved flirtatiously at Sunstreaker, who just scowled. I grinned as I slid into his passenger seat.

"What was that?" he demanded.

I blinked at him. "What was what?"

"That. Him. Who was he?" Sunstreaker glared at Simon's retreating back.

"My new friend." I beamed at him as he pulled away from the curb and headed for the alleyway where Wheeljack would open the ground bridge. "His name is Simon."

"Hmph." was all he said as the ground bridge powered into existence in front of us.

"Are you jealous?" I teased. "You and Sides are still my best friends, Sunny."

"I'm not jealous." he rumbled as he drove into Wheeljack's lab. "Hey, Jolt."

The blue mech just nodded in return and walked out. I raised an eyebrow but said nothing as I reached for the handle of Sunstreaker's door. It didn't open. "Sunny? You going to let me out?"

"Nope." he answered, driving slowly behind Jolt. Once the blue mech got out of the way, he gunned the engine and shot down the corridor at break-neck speed.

I squealed and clutched his seat in surprise. Once the initial shock was over I laughed, beginning to enjoy the speed. Sunstreaker chuckled with me, the sound reverberating from the radio. He skidded to an abrupt halt in front of their quarters. "Now you may get out."

I grinned and climbed out as he transformed and opened his room door. I transformed too and followed him inside. "My dad's gonna wrench me if I don't go and tell him everything that happened today." I smiled and jumped on the Twins' berth.

"No he won't." Sunstreaker said confidently. "He would never wrench his precious sparkling. You're the only person he DOESN'T wrench. I've even seen him wrench Prime once. Prime was so scared of him he didn't even protest."

I rolled my optics and lay back. "I think you're exaggerating."

Sunstreaker snorted and lay down next to me. "Please. I don't exaggerate. That's Sideswipe."

"Where is Sideswipe?" I glanced around the room, noticing his obvious absence.

"Prowl threw him in the brig." Sunstreaker snorted. "I think he swapped Prime's datapad reports with nursery rhymes for human children."

A huge smile spread across my face. "Oh, wow. Prowl must have been pissed."

"He was." Sunny grinned. "Anyway. Tell me about your first day of school."

I leaned my helm back to rest against the berth. "It was okay. Better than I thought it would be. Sunny, I think my dad'll be annoyed if I don't go and see him. He'll probably end up wrenching you instead of me."

Sunstreaker grinned. "Doc bot's busy tending to Wheeljack. He told me to keep you busy for a while."

"Oh." I relaxed slightly. "He's still fixing Wheeljack?"

"Well, he had him all fixed up a while ago, but the the idiot went and blew his legs off. I swear to Primus, he's the most incompetent mech I've ever met."

I nudged his chassis and frowned. "Don't be mean."

"It's the truth." he said, but didn't press the issue. "So come on. School. Tell me about it. Sides wants to know to. He's listening," Sunny tapped his spark chamber, "Through our spark bond."

I smiled and leaned my head on his golden shoulder tiredly. "It was good, I guess. Will's daughter Annabelle, the girl Ironhide always talks about, showed me around and was really nice."

"You mean the girl Ironhide refuses to discuss around me and Sideswipe? What was she like?" Sunny raised an optic ridge and tilted his helm, straining to see me on his shoulder.

"She really funny, and kind. And I met another friend, Simon. You met him already."

Sunny hummed discontentedly. "Yes." was his only answer.

"I think he liked you." I hid my grin in his shoulder plates.

"He didn't know me." Sunstreaker answered irritably. I just grinned and didn't answer. "Sides wants to know if you had fun."

"As much fun as you can have in school." I answered vaguely, offlining my optics.

"Did Ratchet tell you about the new arrivals?" Sunstreaker asked offhandedly, effectively causing my optics to online with a sharp 'snap'.

"New arrivals?"

"Yeah. Should be arriving within the next earth month. We don't know who they are yet." he said calmly, seeming unaffected by my disbelieving stare.

"Really?" I asked. My faceplates split into a grin when he nodded. "That's great!" I buried my head back in his shoulder.

"Depending on who it is. If it's Red Alert, I might shoot myself. I can't stand his paranoia." he tilted his helm to the side suddenly and his optics dimmed. "Prowl just let Sideswipe out of the brig."

I smiled tiredly. "Good." I said absently, before comming Ratchet to ask him how long he would be with Wheeljack.

He replied within seconds, telling me that the damage caused by the explosion was worse than he had thought, and he would probably have to stay in the med bay overnight so that he could monitor him.

"Hey, can I stay here tonight? Dad has to stay in the med bay to monitor 'Jackie." I cuddled into Sunstreaker.

He nodded. "Sure. As long as you don't scratch my paint in recharge like you did last time." he said gruffly.

I rolled my optics. "That was an accident, Sunny."

He just huffed as the door slid open and Sideswipe trudged in and fell face-first on the berth. "Prowl is such a killjoy." he muttered, voice slightly muffled by the berth.

I grinned and sat up off Sunstreaker, nudging Sides with my ped. "Aww. Are you tired?"

"Molly's staying here tonight." Sunstreaker told him before he could reply.

Sides grinned. "Yay, sleepover!"

I laughed as he jumped on the berth properly and lay on the other side of me; leaving me squashed in between both twins. He grabbed the remote and flicked the TV on. "Let's see... Anything in particular you guys wanna watch?"

I shook my helm and Sunstreaker shrugged, so Sideswipe started hitting random buttons. He paused at one channel and frowned curiously.

I froze at the moans and sounds coming out of the TV. Please tell me that Sideswipe hadn't...

"Why are those organics wrestling without their cloth coverings?"

Oh. He had. "Change the channel!" I freaked out, covering my optics before I could see what the couple on TV were doing.

Both twins turned to stare at me, startled. "Molly? What-?" Sunstreaker started to say, but was effectively distracted as the woman onscreen screamed quite loudly. "If the male is hurting her, why is she asking him to hurt her harder?"

"Oh my Primus, turn it OFF! Please!" I buried my head in Sideswipe's shoulder, who was staring at the TV and looking bemused.

"Why?" he asked, eyeing the couple as they rocked together.

"Because it's like.." I searched for the right words. "It's like watching interfacing!"

Sunstreaker glanced at me, startled. "You know what interfacing is?"

I didn't look up from Sideswipe's shoulder. "I spend most of my time with either you two or with Jazz. Of course I know what interfacing is. Turn. It. Off."

Sideswipe finally obeyed, giving the two porn stars on screen one final curious look before changing the channel to a movie. "Who told you what interfacing was? And how did you know that was human interfacing?"

I wanted to inform him that I had been human once and had experienced it, but I had a feeling that it would have gone down pretty badly. "Once again; you two and Jazz. Enough said. And I knew because my dad's a medic."

Sideswipe seemed to accept my weak explanation and turned back to the TV. "Well, is this okay for you? You're not gonna freak out?"

I eyed the movie curiously. "Is this King Kong?"

"I have no idea." Sideswipe leaned back down leisurely on the berth again. "Relax, I'm not going to turn on the human interfacing again."

"I wouldn't put it past you." I muttered, laying back down by their sides.

Sunstreaker snorted, and Sides scowled, but neither said anything.

As the movie progressed, I was asked the occasional question such as: "Are primates really that large on this planet?", "Why does the ape have such a fixation on the human?", and "Is that Jack Black?"

The movie was nearing the end credits now, and Sideswipe poked my abdominal region. "Do monkeys actually act like that around human females?"

I laughed and shook my head. "No, Sides. It's just a movie. He looked really sad when he couldn't have her though..." I said sadly, leaning into both the twins, who wrapped their arms comfortingly around me.

Sunny hummed thoughtfully. "I've seen that look before, back on Cybertron. Do you remember seeing the mech who's sparkmate was offlined in front of him?" he asked Sideswipe.

Sides nodded grimly. "Yeah. It was worse than anything I'd ever seen, including the gladiatorial pits in Kaon." his voice had lost all traces of humour, and instead held pain and sadness.

"It was that bad?" I whispered, craning my neck to try and see their faces properly.

"Nothing you need to worry about right now, Mollzers." the good humour returned to Sideswipe's voice, although now it seemed forced. "It's probably time for recharge, anyway."

I nodded and sank down into the berth, letting the subject drop. It was clear they didn't want to discuss it.

Sunny wrapped his arms around me in much the same way as Ratchet usually did to keep me warm. Sides mirrored him on my other side, so I was snuggled safely in between their thrumming sparks. We didn't move until morning, not even in recharge.


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning, I was awoken by Sideswipe shaking me. "Mollzers. Time to wake up. C'mon."

I vented and burrowed into Sunstreaker's side. "Go away."

Sideswipe huffed. "Molly, you have to get up for school. Sunny, back me up."

"Shut up." Sunstreaker complained, resting his chin on my helm.

Sideswipe groaned. "Come on! School! Yay! Fun! You love school!"

"No, I don't. School sucks." I snuggled closer to Sunstreaker.

Sunny onlined one optic and glanced up at Sideswipe. "Can't she miss one day?"

"If you want to explain it to Ratchet then yeah, sure she can." Sideswipe put his servos on his hips.

Sunny vented and shoved me off him. "Up. School time."

I groaned, knowing I was defeated. "Damn."

Sideswipe grinned and hauled me up off the berth. "I'll drop you off." he patted my helm.

I nodded sleepily and stretched, causing my joints to creak loudly. "Okay. I'm ready."

Sideswipe nodded and opened the door, before standing back and gesturing to it. "Ladies first."

I snorted and stepped out into the hallway, before Sunstreaker called to me. "Molly? Are you forgetting something?"

I glanced around and saw Sunstreaker holding out his hand. My school bag sat in his palm. "Oh. Thanks." I grinned and took my bag off him.

"See you later." he said, lying back down on the berth.

"Bye." I called, following Sideswipe down the hall towards Wheeljack's lab.

Sideswipe didn't bother knocking; he just sauntered in. "How do you work this thing?" he asked, eyeing the controls to the ground bridge.

I stepped forwards and pulled the lever. The ground bridge powered up, lighting the whole room up. "We'd better go quickly."

Sides nodded and transformed, before opening the passenger door for me. I activated my holoform and climbed in, nestling myself comfortably in the seat as he drove through the ground bridge.

We arrived in the same alley as always, and Sides drove out and turned the corner, heading for the school. We were clearly early, because no one else had arrived yet.

"Siders?" I asked casually as we waited. "Sunny said that there were going to be new arrivals sometime this month."

Sideswipe's holoform fizzled to life in the drivers seat next to me. He had light brown hair (almost the colour of my own) with the tips of his fringe died red, and electric blue eyes. He was well built, and looked almost identical to Sunny's holoform apart from the hair. It was a very good-looking holo. The only problem was that he knew it. "Yep. We don't know when they're gonna get here though. Either this week or the next, most likely."

"Cool." I smiled. "Do you think you'll know them? Do you think I'll like them?"

Sideswipe grinned. "I'm sure you'll like them. You like everyone. As for knowing them... I don't know. Maybe. I just hope none of our ex-girlfriends are coming."

I laughed. "Yeah. I can see how that could be awkward for you. What happens if I'm in school when they arrive?"

"I'll take a picture for you."

"Can't you take me out early?"

"And interrupt your education? Goodness, no."

I groaned and leaned my head against the seat. "You're so mean."

Sideswipe just laughed. "Yeah. Did you have your energon this morning?"

I gave him a look. "No. You pulled me out of bed and dragged me to school despite the fact it's not even open yet."

Sideswipe shrugged. "At least you're not late. Hang on half a breem." he stepped out of the car and walked around the back to the boot. He came back a few minutes later with a bright pink sippy cup and handed it to me. "Drink up."

I blinked at the sippy cup. "Um... Thanks? Where did you get this?"

"Well, I filled the energon this morning. The sippy cup was the only container I had. I've had it since you were an itty bitty sparkling." he grinned and gestured to it. "Seriously, drink it. Hatchet'll kill me if you end up passing out because of energon depravation or something."

I sighed and began drinking from the sippy cup, struggling to ignore Sideswipe's smirk. "That was so undignified." I muttered, handing the empty cup back to him.

Sideswipe laughed and put the cup in his glove compartment. "It sure was, but you did in style."

"That's me." I sighed. "Drinking from sippy cups in style."

We sat there for another few minutes, before a familiar boy with brown hair appeared around the corner and began walking towards the school.

"I'd better go now." I said, grabbing my school bag.

"Go?" Sideswipe glanced at me in surprise. "Now?"

I laughed and opened the door. "Yeah. I'll see you later. Are we still having a movie night this evening?"

"Of course." he grinned at me. "We've never missed a movie night yet. Do I get a hug before you go?"

I rolled my eyes. "You do if you get out."

Sideswipe grinned and stepped out of the car, before wrapping me in a big hug. "Awww. My little Molly is all grown up. First day of school. This is so exciting."

"It's my second day of school." I pointed out, my voice muffled in Sides' chest.

"Just pretend for me. I didn't get to be there on your first day." he insisted. I smiled slightly and hugged him back.

"Molly?" Simon asked from behind me.

I could feel Sides lift his head off my shoulder to stare at him, and I turned in his arms. "Oh, hey Simon! This is my friend Sides."

Simon blinked. "Sides?"

I nodded. "It's a nickname. His real name is.. um- Steven."

Simon nodded. "Oh. Hi Steven." he smiled cheerfully.

Sideswipe grinned back. "I prefer Sides. It's nice to meet you, Simon. I'm guessing you're Molly's new friend?"

"Uh, yeah. I am." he smiled again.

"I hope you're taking good care of her." Sideswipe loosened his hold on me, settling for wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "Because if you're not, it wouldn't be good."

Simon blinked, and I groaned and put my head in my hands. "Don't do this to me. I met him yesterday. Wait at least another week until you get all protective." I pleaded.

Sideswipe shook his head. "No can do, princess. Might as well get it over with. Would you rather me do it, or your dad?"

I blanched. "Point taken. You do it."

Sideswipe nodded and turned to Simon, who was watching our exchange nervously. "Are you in anyway involved in the Mafia?"

Simon gaped at him. "Wh-? The Mafia? No.."

"Any sort of drug-ring?"

"N-no!"

"Future career?"

"Career? I don't.. I don't know."

"Hmm... Disorganised. Favourite animal?"

"Animal? What kind of question-? A dog, I suppose."

"Favourite superhero?"

"Uhh.. Spider-Man."

"Favourite band?"

"I don't really have one..."

"That's a shame. Molly loves music. Favourite book?"

"Lord Of The Rings."

"Favourite character from that book?"

"Uhh.. Sam Gamgee."

"Hmm.. Molly's is Gollum. I still don't know why. What does your mother do for a living?"

The questions kept coming and coming, to the point where I wanted to curl up in embarrassment. The car park had filled considerably, and people were eyeing Sideswipe's Lamborghini alt form as they passed. I could see Annabelle in the distance, getting off her bus. Desperate to spare her the pain of being interrogated by Sideswipe, I interrupted him. "Okay, Sides. Shut up. I'll get you a urine sample and part of his liver later, okay? School starts in, like, ten minutes."

Sideswipe hesitated. "Fine. He seems acceptable." he nodded at Simon before giving me another hug. "I'll see you later. You're picking the movie tonight!"

I laughed ."Alright. See you." I waved as the holoform climbed back into Sideswipe's alt mode.

I turned back to Simon as Sides drove off. "Sorry about him. He's like my very over-protective big brother."

"He's gorgeous." Simon sighed, gazing after the red Lamborghini as it turned the corner.

"Right. Well. Anyway, should we go? I see Annabelle." I pointed at her as she walked up the steps.

"Yeah, sure." Simon said absently, following me as we headed for Annabelle. "It is totally not fair that you know not one, but TWO completely gorgeous guys. Not fair at all. I think you should share."

I laughed at him as we climbed the steps. "They're my best friends, Simon."

"Still. How is it even possible for you to stay 'just friends' with guys who look like that? Unless.. Are you a lesbian?"

My head jerked back to stare at him. "What? No, I'm not."

Simon shrugged. "Just checking. Hey, Annabelle!"

Annabelle turned around on the top step and caught sight of us. A smile lit up her face and she waited for us to catch up with her before we continued to walk into the building. "Hey. Sorry, I didn't see you."

"You missed Simon going through the Spanish Inquisition." I grinned at her."

"Oh? What happened?"

"Sides decided he wanted to interview him." I shook my head, still grinning.

"Oh. My dad does that whenever I bring a boy home. Always wants to know 'what gives them the right to date my daughter?'. It's so embarrassing." she shook her head, laughing.

Simon turned to stare at me, horrified. "He didn't think I wanted to be your boyfriend, did he?"

I burst out laughing. "Oh, Simon.." I said between giggles. "If he thought you wanted to be my boyfriend, I don't think he'd have let you within half a mile radius of me. Same goes for Sunny and my dad."

"She's not kidding." Annabelle added as we entered our classroom together. "'Hide told me that your dad almost throttled some guy who was hitting on you when you were in Ireland."

I snickered at the memory. "Yeah. That was funny."

Simon raised his eyebrows. "Maybe you should tell your dad I'm gay."

"No! Then I'd have to explain to him what 'gay' means. You tell him." I laugh.

Simon shook his head. "No thanks. I already told my parents. Don't need to tell yours."

"What did they say? Your parents, I mean." Annabelle asked as we sat down.

Simon shrugged. "Not much. They seemed in shock."

"What did they say after they came out of shock?" I asked.

Simon hesitated. "Well, they haven't really come out of shock yet, because I only told them yesterday."

Annabelle and I turned to stare at him. "Yesterday?"

"I assumed they knew already." Annabelle said in surprise.

Simon shrugged. "No. But they do now." he started drumming his fingers on the table.

Annabelle stared disbelievingly at him, but the teacher walked in and called everyone's attention to her.

Simon scowled. "I hate History."

"This is Math." Annabelle pointed out in a whisper as the teacher began the lesson.

Simon's scowl deepened. "Whatever." he muttered.

"Just pick one!" Sunny said irritably, tilting his helm back to stare at the ceiling,

"I want to get a good one!" I chided, continuing my search for a movie. We were in the twins' room for movie night. The twins were laying on the berth and Bluestreak, who had joined us at the last minute, sat on the floor.

"Well, hurry up!" Sunstreaker scowled impatiently.

"Patience is a virtue, Sunny." I pointed out, ignoring his huff. "Okay, I've decided."

Bluestreak grinned and clapped in anticipation. "What is it? Is it a good movie? Wait, is it action or thriller or horror? Because I don't do very well with scary movies. I tend to have difficulty recharging and-"

"Blue, shut up." Sideswipe groaned in annoyance.

"I don't think it's scary." I smiled reassuringly at Bluestreak. "Simon told me it was a good movie."

Sunstreaker scowled and Sideswipe sat up and frowned at me, "So, you can trust this Simon's judgement, can you?"

"Of course." I said absently as the movie began onscreen, "Where am I going to sit?"

Sideswipe shifted an inch to the left. "There."

"Sides,-" I began.

Sunny rolled his optics and moved over so I could sit in the middle of them. "Sit here."

"Thank you." I grinned and crawled in between them.

"What movie is it?" Bluestreak asked from the floor.

"Batman: The Dark Knight. Are you okay sitting down there, Blue?" I asked, tilting my helm at him.

Bluestreak nodded. "I'm fine, don't worry. What's a batman?"

"I'm not really sure how to answer that question." I said hesitantly, trying to think of a way to explain Batman.

"He's a superhero. We watched the first one last week. Shhh, it's starting!" Sideswipe said eagerly, pulling me back so that my head wasn't blocking his view. I moved over to Sunny and sat on his lap, my head resting against his chest. Sideswipe glanced at us and frowned, before crawling over and cuddling closer. "I felt left out."

I grinned and turned my attention back to the movie as it started.

Almost two and a half hours later, the movie was over and the end credits were rolling up.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Bluestreak gaped at the screen. "Did you SEE him! He was doing ninja flips and kicks and he had those cool gadgets that could make him fly and he-"

"He was so cool!" I jumped up in excitement. "Did you see The Joker! He was amazing! He was all-"

"I thought he was really scary! I think it was the colourful paint on his face-"

"It was make-up. Did you really not like him? I thought he was really cool-"

"No, he was cool, he just scared me. Especially when he went 'Why so serious?'" Blue imitated the Joker's voice perfectly. I stared at him. "What?"

"You just did his voice perfectly. That was creepy."

"Sorry,"

"No, it was really cool!"

"Oh. Thanks." he grinned. "I'd better go. See you tomorrow."

"Bye!" I grinned as he walked out, then turned on the twins and pounced on them.

"Argh! Molly! Get off before you scratch my paint!" Sunny yelled, trying to throw me off his back.

"What did you think of the movie?" I asked eagerly, ignoring his struggles.

"It was very good. Can you get off?"

I obliged and rolled onto Sideswipe instead. "Hey. What did YOU think?"

Sideswipe grinned. "It was awesome. You picked a good one. It's my turn tomorrow."

"Oooooh. What're you gonna pick?" I asked, shifting so I was sitting on his chassis.

"Spider-Man." he nodded. "We're going to watch Spider-Man."

Sunny frowned. "I thought a spider was a tiny little Earth insect."

"It is."

"Then how can-"

"You'll have to wait until tomorrow!" I grinned. "Wasn't the Joker amazing! He was SO cool!"

"He was a psychopathic serial killer with zero empathy." Sideswipe pointed out with a confused frown.

"Yeah, but he was SO COOL!" I waved my arms for emphasis.

"Do you ever shut up?" Sunstreaker rolled his optics.

I grinned at him. "Not while I'm awake."

"Then go to sleep." he pulled me off Sides and settled me in between the two of them. "I'll comm. Hatchet and tell him you're staying here."

"Okay. He's gonna be pissed at you." I said, snuggling into his side as Sideswipe wrapped his arms around me to keep me warm.

"I know." Sunny vented. "If you talk in recharge, I will kill you."

I just laughed and offlined my optics. "See you in the morning."


	15. Chapter 15

I was waiting in the car park after school for either Sideswipe or Sunstreaker to collect me, but there was no sign of them.

I commed Ratchet, but the channel was blocked. I frowned slightly. Ratchet only blocked his comms if there was an emergency. I commed the twins too, but their comm. channels were the same. I tried to force myself to not panic, attempting to come up with reasons the comm. channels might be blocked.

"Molly?"

I glanced around and saw Simon walking up to me. "Oh, hey."

"Is your lift late?" he asked, coming to a stop in front of me.

"Yeah, looks like it. I'm sure he'll be here soon though." I smiled.

Simon raised his brow. "No one's ever forgotten about you before."

"They haven't forgotten about me." I said defensively. "Something probably just came up."

Simon grinned. "Denial. You need somewhere to wait?"

"It's not denial. And I'm waiting here." I pointed out.

"It is so denial. You can wait at my house if you want. My mom won't mind." Simon offered.

I hesitated. The idea of waiting by myself in the cold car park was too much, and I nodded. "Yes please."

Simon nodded. "C'mon. We have to walk about a block."

I smiled and followed him, sending a quick message to Ratchet to tell him where I'd be. There was no reply, but I hadn't really expected one. "Are you sure your mom won't mind?" I asked as we crossed the road.

Simon nodded. "Yeah, she'll love you." he assured me. "It's just up the road here."

My gaze followed his gesture and landed on a house in the middle of the road. The mailbox was painted in bright colours and there were several extremely happy looking garden gnomes scattered throughout the lawn. "I'm guessing that gnome is yours." I grinned, pointing at a ceramic gnome that had a black cape tied around its neck and a bat symbol painted on it chest.

Simon grinned back at me. "It's Batgnome!"

I laughed as we walked up the garden path. "You're so creative."

He shrugged and smiled. "Yeah, I'm cool like that. Mom? I'm home!" he called as he pushed open the front door and stepped inside. He turned back to me and gestured through. "C'mon. Ladies first."

I grinned at him. "Wow. Your manners have come out of hiding."

He laughed and shut the door behind him. "Yep. They wanted to say hello. Mom! Are you home? I don't think she's home yet." he said, glancing into the kitchen. "We can watch TV or something."

I nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Simon led the way upstairs to his room and opened the door. "Here we go. This is my lair." he gestured widely at his room.

"Huh. It's exactly how I imagined it." I commented, glancing around. Clothes and comic books littered the floor, and the bed was unmade. "It's cool." He grinned and grabbed and Xbox controller and threw it to me. I caught it before it hit my face and raised my eyebrow at him. "What're we playing?"

"I've been stuck on a level in Batman: Arkham Asylum. Wanna help me complete it?" He asked, throwing himself back on the bed.

"Sure." I took a seat next to him, then froze as my hand touched something gooey. "Simon?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you have a slice of pizza in your bed?" I asked, holding my tomato-and-cheese covered hand up for him to see.

He glanced down at the plate. "Oh. That's where it went." He picked up the slice and took a huge bite while setting the Xbox up.

I stared at him. "How long has that been there?"

Simon shrugged. "I dunno. Tastes alright. I'd offer you some, but you never seem to be hungry."

I forced a smile and shrugged. "Small appetite."

He shook his head. "Girls are weird."

I mock pushed him. "How's Elliott?"

"No teasing!" He yelled, glaring at the TV screen as the game started up.

"It was just a question." I grinned at him.

Simon huffed. "He's fine." His face brightened suddenly. "I asked him to come over later on, and he said he would!"

I grinned wider. "That's great, Simon! So I get to meet him?"

Simon's smile fell. "Oh god. Maybe I should ask him to come back another day."

I frowned. "Why would you do that?"

"Molly, you know I love you, but I seriously like this guy. You CANNOT mess this up for me." He looked at me seriously.

I blinked, slightly affronted. "I won't! I just wanna say hi!"

Simon narrowed his eyes at me. "Fine. He said he'd be here around five." He said at last, turning his attention back to the game.

I frowned slightly and checked my internal chronometer. "Si, it's two minutes past five right now."

Simon stared at me for a split second before jumping up, the game forgotten. "I gotta clean the house! Come on!"

I let him pull me out of his room and down the stairs. "Simon, rela-" the shrill ring of the doorbell cut my sentence short.

"Crap! Oh no! I have to clean!" Simon said frantically, diving into the kitchen. Loud 'clangs' echoed to where I was standing in the hallway as he shoved plates and pots into cupboards.

I laughed quietly at his panic and went to door. I opened it wide and smiled at the boy on the doorstep. "Hi, there." I greeted. The boy, Elliott, blinked at me, clearly surprised and confused as to who I was. He was good-looking, with sandy hair falling into his green eyes and a cute face. I could see why Simon liked him so much.

"Hi. Umm.. Is Simon home?" Elliott asked nervously.

I grinned and nodded. "He sure is. Do you want to come in?" I stood back to let him pass.

"I didn't realise Simon had a girlfriend. I thought he was-" Elliott began, but I promptly cut him off.

"No! I'm not his girlfriend, I'm just his friend. He's still gay, don't worry." I assured him, smiling slightly as a blush crept up Elliott's neck.

"Molly, what-" Simon began to yell as he ran out of the kitchen, but broke off once he saw me with Elliott. He straightened up, trying to look cool. "Oh. Hey, Elliott."

Elliott blushed again. "Hey, Simon."

I grinned at them both and began to bounce on my toes. "This is fun." I commented cheerfully, ignoring Simon's glare in my direction. "Should I go..?"

"No, it's okay." Simon said grudgingly, before brightening and turning to Elliott. "Do you like video games?"

Elliott smiled shyly and nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Simon grinned excitedly. "Cool! Let's go, I have loads of games." He led the way up to his room, with Elliott following shyly behind.

I held back a giggle at how cute they were, and stayed downstairs in the hallway. I tried comming Ratchet and the twins again, but there was still no answer. I was starting to seriously worry, so I commed Jazz.

To my surprise, he answered. :• Hey, li'l lady. What's up?•: he asked good naturedly.

:•Jazz? Where are you?•:

There was a confused pause from Jazz before he replied again. :• What do ya mean? I'm in the rec. room. Why? Is everything okay with you, princess?•:

:• I've been trying to comm. my dad and the twins, but they won't answer.•: I told him.

:•Oh. That'll be because Doc-bot is busy mendin' up the new arrivals. The twins are.. Otherwise occupied.•:

:•New arrivals? They've arrived?•: I asked excitedly, barely noticing the pause when Jazz mentioned the twins.

:•Yep. One femme an' three mechs. How come you're not home yet, li'l bunny?•:

:•Well, I guess Ratchet and the twins were busy and forgot to collect me.•:

:•What? Where are yo' now?•: Jazz demanded, panic colouring his voice. :•Don't talk to strangers!•:

:•I'm at Simon's! It's okay.•: I assured him.

:• It is NOT okay! Do yo' know how many Decepticons are around the place? They detected the new arrivals, and now they're searching fo' them.•:

I was silent for a moment. :•Oh. Awkward... So does that mean you're coming to collect me?•:

:• It sure does, li'l lady! Yo' should have called sooner!•:

:• I did! Ratchet and the twins didn't answer!•: I pointed out.

Jazz ignored me. :•Be there in five•:

I closed off the link and made my way upstairs. I pushed open Simon's door and grinned slightly and the sight of him and Elliott playing the Batman game that had been previously abandoned. "Hey, I'm going."

Simon paused the game and looked up. "Oh, really? Did your dad pick up?"

"No, my uncle is collecting me." I smiled. "Thanks for letting me stay. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Elliott."

Elliott gave me a small smile back. "Bye. It was nice to meet you."

I smiled back. "You too. You kids take it easy, okay? It's only your first date." I ducked out of the door way and ran down the stairs before Simon could throw the Xbox controller at me. I grabbed my school bag and slung it over my shoulder before pulling open the front door.

Jazz's holoform was on the doorstep, and he had his fist raised to knock on the front door. I leaned back and narrowly avoided getting hit in the face. "Whoa. Sorry, princess. Wasn't expectin' you to answer the door."

"It's okay." I smiled tiredly before turning and yelling over my shoulder "Bye Simon!"

"See ya!" He yelled back.

I turned back to face Jazz and grinned. "Ready to go?"

He nodded and led the way back to his silver alt form. I noticed the way his eyes flickered back and forth between building and alleys, as though he were anticipating an attack. When we got to his alt form, his door opened and the holoform flickered out. I climbed into the passenger seat and smiled comfortably. "So how come all the communication links were down earlier?"

"'Cause we were all lookin' fo' the crashed 'bots. Prime felt it was essential to shut down comm. links because he didn't want no distractions." Jazz replied as he turned into an alley and commed Wheeljack to open the ground bridge. It opened a couple of metres away two minutes later.

"Oh, right." I said thoughtfully as Jazz drove through the blue portal and into Wheeljack's lab. Jazz's door opened to let me out and I thanked him as I transformed back into my Cybertronian form. I stretched leisurely, pleased to be back in my own body. "I'm gonna go find Ratchet. Hey, Wheeljack."

Wheeljack murmured a response, too immersed in whatever project he was working on to reply properly. I exited the lab and made my way to the med bay, hesitating slightly outside due to the the yelps of pain issuing from behind the door.

"Frag! That hurts, Ratchet!" A shiny red Autobot was snapping at my dad as the wires in his leg were jerked around.

"Be quiet." Ratchet snapped back irritably.

"Hey. Do you need any help?" I asked tentatively, looking from Ratchet to the red Autobot, who had turned his optics on me and was looking me up and down.

"No thank you, Molly. As long as this idiot stays still," Ratchet glared at his patient, "I should be done soon." He ducked his head down to work on the red Autobots knee, before he jerked up to look at me again. His hand slipped in surprise, causing the red Autobot to howl in pain. "Molly? Slag! I forgot to get you! Did the twins forget too? Slag it, I'm sorry."

"FRAG! PRIMUS!" The red Autobot howled, clutching his leg.

Ratchet scowled at him. "Suck it up." He turned back to face me and gestured to his patient. "This is Mirage. He's one of the new comers."

"Nice to meet you." I smiled uncertainly, but I think Mirage was too busy crying to hear me. I looked back to Ratchet. "It's okay. Jazz collected me."

"Where were you before that?" He asked, turning back to Mirage and ignoring the futile attempts the 'bot made to get away from him.

"At Simon's." I said absently, sitting on a berth across from Mirage.

Ratchet nodded as the door to the medical bay opened and Bluestreak walked in holding his left arm in his right hand. The wires poking out of his shoulder joints were sparking painfully."Hey, Ratchet..." He said nervously, placing his arm on the medical berth I was sitting on.

Ratchet glared at him. "What happened?"

"Bulkhead wanted to arm wrestle." Bluestreak said embarrassedly. "He won." I guessed that Bulkhead was another new arrival.

Ratchet vented frustratedly and stepped back from Mirage. "You're done." He told the spy, before walking over to Bluestreak and picking up his arm. "You all have to stop getting hurt. I guarantee that it will come to the stage where I no longer feel obliged to mend you."

I couldn't help but grin as Bluestreak was subjected to a long lecture from my dad. I hopped off the berth and crossed to the other side of the room to get some energon. I was uncomfortably aware of Mirage's optics trailing me as I poured myself a cube of energon and began sipping from it.

"Ouch!" Bluestreak winced as Ratchet accidentally snagged a loose wire.

"Shut up." Ratchet growled irritably. Bluestreak fell silent, wincing occasionally. "Molly, pass me the welder."

I picked the tool up from beside Mirage and handed it to Ratchet, who snatched it off me without saying anything. I smirked slightly at his 'work attitude' and continued to drink my energon.

Mirage stood up and made his way over to where I was leaning against the operating berth. "Hello," he smiled winningly at me. "It's been quite a while since I've seen a femme as beautiful as you."

I choked on my energon as he said that and Ratchet stiffened. Bluestreak winced and shook his head at Mirage, trying to warn him not to go down that road. Ratchet stood up and turned to glare daggers at Mirage, who didn't even notice.

I glanced from Ratchet to Mirage nervously. "Thanks.." I said, uncertain of how to respond.

Mirage smirked. "It's true. How about we go for energon some time?"

"I have energon right here." I held up my half-full cube. "But thanks for the offer."

"Another time, then." Mirage stepped closer, invading my personal space. My optics flickered to Ratchet; this time Mirage caught my glance and turned to see what I was looking at- just in time for a wrench to hit him in the face. He yelled in pain and clutched his facial plating. "Ratchet! What the slag was THAT for?!"

"That's my daughter, you ignorant-"

"Dad! Relax." I jumped in front of him and put my hands on his chest-plates to try and hold him back. I glanced at Blue. "Little help?"

Bluestreak's optics widened. "No thank you." He stammered. "I'd rather not get in front of an angry Ratchet. I just got my arm repaired. Sorry, I would help you if it wasn't Ratchet, but Ironhide always says that Ratchet would be willing to offline any 'bot who might try anything on you, so I'm not going to get in the way of him while he's on his rampage-" Blue babbled on like he usually did, but I had tuned out and was trying to press Ratchet back.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know she was your creation!" Mirage backed away nervously.

"Not technically his creation." I managed to point out while pushing on Ratchet's chest.

"You're close enough." Ratchet growled.

"Please calm down." I stood on the tops of my pedes and whispered in his audio receptor. "Please? He didn't actually do anything."

Ratchet scowled, but stopped pushing forwards. I lowered my hands slowly from his chest, watching him closely. I glanced back to where Mirage was watching with a raised optic ridge. Ratchet pointed warningly at him. "Don't touch my daughter."

Mirage put his hands up in an 'I surrender' pose. "Okay."

Ratchet growled again and moved back to Bluestreak, who stiffened in fear as the angry medic began working on him again.

I walked closer to Mirage and rolled my optics at him. "That was a stupid thing to say in front of my dad."

"You didn't tell me he was your father!" He said, outraged. "How was I to know?!"

I held back a laugh and shook my head. "Well, now you know for next time."

Mirage smirked, before saying very quietly, "I'm a slow learner", and sauntering out of the med bay with a wink.

"Oh, dear." I muttered under my breath. This was going to be complicated.

Yay new chapter! :) thank you all for the reviews and follows and favourites :D I need help with naming the femme Autobot though.. -.- if you have any suggestions for a name, please leave it in a review :D thank you!


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you all for the review and suggestions! They really helped :) I'd like to thank Shades-Soul, who suggested the name I chose :) thank you all, and I hope you like it :)**

"Hey, Blue." I smiled as I sat on the couch next to him. "Have you seen the twins?"

Bluestreak glanced up from the TV. "No, I haven't. I think they were showing Solstice around the base."

"Who's Solstice?" I asked curiously. "Another new Autobot?"

Bluestreak blinked, then smiled. "Oh. Haha. I keep forgetting you weren't around on Cybertron. You're just such a big part of life around here that it's hard to remember you weren't always around. You would have loved Cybertron, I know you would have. I can show you pictures sometime! Most of them were destroyed, but I still have a few of Praxus... It was a beautiful city.. I'm pretty sure you would have loved it. Earth is beautiful too, of course. It's so much more colourful, and-"

I let Bluestreak carry on for a few more minutes, before gently reminding him what I had asked him in the first place.

"Oh, right." He smiled sheepishly. "Umm.. She was one of the femme warriors on Cybertron during the war. I think the twins had a thing with her, but it ended when Iacon fell and they got promoted to fight on the front lines. I think we all thought she was deactivated sometime during the war, or captured by the Decepticons. Clearly not."

I blinked at this news. "Oh. Her and the twins..? Oh. Okay."

Bluestreak frowned. "Um.. Are you alright? Maybe I shouldn't have said that.."

"No." I shook my helm quickly. "No, it's fine. That's fine. Um.. Okay. So now they're kind of.. Back together?"

Blue shifted uncomfortably. "I don't really know, Molls. I haven't really seen them since she arrived."

I nodded, taking this information in, "Right." Well. This was a surprise.

"Hey, do you wanna watch a movie with me tonight?" Blue asked, clearly trying to distract me.

I nodded numbly. "Yeah. Yeah, sure. I'm just gonna go see my dad, 'kay?"

Bluestreak nodded and watched me with concerned optics as I left the rec room and made my way down the hall towards the med bay. I entered the med bay automatically, barely registering Ratchet in the corner banging his hands with a hammer. His frustrated growl got my attention however, and I glanced over to him as he brought the hammer down on his left hand. "Dad? What are you doing?"

Ratchet glanced around at me. "Oh. Hello, Molly. I'm just loosening up my hand joints."

I stared at him in mild disbelief. "With a hammer?"

He vented and sat down. "Old hands, my dear." He stretched his fingers. I walked over to him and sat on his knee, curling up to his chassis. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close to him. The thrum of his spark was as comforting as always. "I haven't held you like this since you were a sparkling."

"That was only a few months ago." I pointed out, my voice muffled in his chassis.

He rubbed my back struts affectionately. "Over a year ago, now. Can you believe it?"

I hummed absently in answer, resting my helm on his shoulder.

Ratchet frowned. "What's wrong?"

I glanced up at his face. "Nothing."

"Molly." He frowned sternly at me. "I can feel what you feel through our sparkbond. Why are you so sad?"

I didn't answer for a moment. Just when Ratchet was about to ask again, I said "Do you know a femme called Solstice?"

Ratchet hesitated. "Ah. I see." He said slowly. I gazed up at him, waiting for a proper answer. He sighed. "Molly... I'm not sure what you want me to say. I'm not very good at this."

I nodded slowly. "It's okay. I'm fine."

Ratchet examined my face closely. "If you say so. I'm sure they'll spend some time with you if you find them."

I shook my helm. "No, it's alright. They probably want to spend time with Solstice. It's been a while since they've seen her."

Ratchet patted my helm softly. "It's perfectly normal to be annoyed at them, sweetspark."

"I'm not annoyed-"

Ratchet cut me off. "I would be. They forgot all about you yesterday when they left you at the school."

"They weren't the only ones who forgot." I pointed out with a raised optic ridge.

Ratchet waved it away. "Irrelevant." He fell silent and looked at me closely. "I don't want you to be sad."

I rested my head on his chassis. "I'll be fine, daddy. I promise."

He vented and rested his chin on the top of my helm. "I'll take your word for it, then."

I smiled slightly as the doors to the med bay slid open. To my surprise, the twins walked in. Closely followed by a smaller, light blue and green femme. "And this is the med bay!" Sideswipe was saying cheerfully, gesturing around the room.

Ratchet growled dangerously at the sight of them. I could feel the protectiveness radiating off our sparkbond, and the anger at them for making me feel sad. I was surprised that he was annoyed at Solstice too, and not just the twins. He stood up and set me down on the chair he had been sitting on before turning to face the three newcomers. "What do you want?" He asked grumpily, in his usual fashion.

"It's nice to see you again, Ratchet." Solstice smiled sweetly at him.

My dad just 'harrumph'ed and crossed his arms across his chassis. Sideswipe grinned sheepishly and waved at me. "Hey, MollyDolly."

"Hey." I said quietly, fiddling with a spanner in my hands.

A slight frown crossed Sides' face at my less than enthusiastic answer. "Everything okay?"

"You forgot her yesterday." Ratchet scowled at him.

"Forgot..? Oh." Sideswipe winced slightly in realisation.

Sunstreaker frowned slightly. "Where did you go?"

"Simon's." I said, still fiddling with the spanner.

"Jazz had to go and get her." Ratchet frowned slightly, lifting one of his hands to optic-level to examine it closely. "Slag. Molly, pass me the hammer."

I did as he asked and watched as he began to hit his hand repeatedly with the hammer. The looks on the twins' faces were hilarious; the perfect mixture of confusion and horror. "Ratchet! What the frag are you doing?"

Ratchet didn't even glance at them. I stood up and caught the hammer in my hand before he swung it again. "Don't. Let me try something." I told him, picking up a tweezers and turning his hand so it sat face up on the table. I bent over it and began searching for the sensitive wiring under the plating.

"It won't work, sweetspark." Ratchet said irritably, watching me work. "I've tried everything."

"Beating yourself with a hammer suggests that you have NOT tried everything." Solstice giggled. "So, this is your creation, Doctor? I wouldn't have thought you were the kind of mech that wanted a sparkling."

"Adopted sparkling." Ratchet petted my head.

I shook his hand off with a smile, bending closer in order to see under the plating of his hand. "I'm going to have to move this plate, dad." I told him as I pulled one of the plates off his hand. He winced visibly, but let me mess at the wires underneath.

"Adopted sparkling? I wasn't aware there were any sparklings left to adopt." Solstice frowned, eyeing me suspiciously.

I chose to ignore her as I began to recalibrate the sensors in his fingers. Ratchet answered for me. "There aren't. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker found her- ow!" He growled as I snagged a sensitive wire.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to." I winced, putting the wire back in its correct place.

Solstice glanced at the twins. "You found her?" She asked. Sunstreaker nodded, leaning coolly against the wall with his eyes on her.

"Is that better?" I asked suddenly, leaning back from Ratchet's hand.

"I already told you, sweetspark. Nothing ever-" he broke off and frowned as he flexed his fingers. "How did you do that?"

I smiled excitedly. "Did it work?"

"Yes." He said confusedly, still stretching his fingers.

I grinned. "Good. No more beating yourself with a hammer."

He smiled grudgingly at me. "I suppose not. Thank you." He clapped my shoulder.

I nodded me turned around in the chair so I could see the twins and Solstice properly. Sunstreaker was looking at me with a raised optic ridge, and I returned his look. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He said, still looking at me.

Solstice stepped forwards towards Ratchet and smiled. "Anyway, the whole reason we came here was so I could get checked up."

Ratchet nodded and gestured to one of the med berths. "Sit down." He commanded.

The blue and green femme obeyed and hopped up on the berth. I took the opportunity to observe her closely. She was pretty, in the Cybertronian way, with a symmetrical face and big, round optics. She was only about twelve feet tall, but her body was well built and slim- clearly a warriors body. Her paint was bright and shiny, almost as well looked-after as Sunny's.

I glanced down at my own body. I hadn't painted it at all yet, so it remained the dull silver of the metal I was made of. I glanced back up as Sideswipe walked after her, sitting beside her and smiling contentedly.

Sunstreaker walked over to me and tilted his helm. "Sorry for forgetting about you."

I shrugged and smiled at him. "It's alright."

Sunny shook his head. "It's not alright. I really am sorry." I blinked at him in surprise. He never apologised like this before - I got the feeling that he wasn't only apologising for being late. I just nodded, and he continued. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He frowned at me and sat down on the same chair, almost pushing me off. He caught my arm and pulled me onto his lap. "You basically ignored us when we first came in. Are you mad?"

I shook my head. "No, I was just.. Um.. Distracted."

Sunstreaker narrowed his optics at me, making it clear that he didn't believe me. "Alright." He said, surprising me by dropping the subject.

I smiled. "So, what movie are we gonna watch tonight?"

Sunstreaker blinked. "Oh, frag... Tonight's movie night..."

"Yeah. You forgot, didn't you?" I sighed.

Sunny winced. "Sorry, Molly. We were going to go out for a drive with Solstice, to show her around."

"Oh. Okay." I said, ignoring the sinking feeling in my spark.

"I'm sorry, Mollzers..."

I shook my helm quickly. "No, forget about it. I'll watch a movie with Blue."

Sunstreaker made a face. "You sure? You probably won't get to hear any of the movie with Bluestreak yapping next to you."

I poked his cheek strut. "Don't be mean."

"I'm being honest." He protested, grabbing my hand to prevent me from poking his face again.

I shook my helm. "So," I leaned back in his lap. "You, Sides and Solstice, huh? Sybillance, or alliteration or something."

Sunstreaker glanced at me. "What do you mean?" I raised an optic ridge at him and he vented quietly, glancing over to where Solstice and Sides were sitting on the medical berth while Ratchet looked her over. "I missed her."

I looked at him without saying anything. I knew that if I told anyone that he had said that he would deny it, and it made me a bit happier to know he still trusted me enough to tell me how he felt. I nodded slowly. "Good thing she's here then."

Sunny turned his optics on me. "We're not going to forget about our favourite little femme." He patted my helm like I was a dog.

I forced a smile, trying to ignore the 'little' part of that sentence, and the fact they had blown me off twice for her. "I'm gonna take your word for that, Sunshine."

He smacked the back of my helm very lightly. "Don't call me that."

"Finished." Ratchet announced from across the room, finishing his scans. "You're fine: no sign of damage at all."

I glanced around and was startled to see Solstice's optics staring straight at me. I realised that she probably wasn't all too happy that I was sitting in her 'boyfriend''s lap. "Thank you, Ratchet." She said, hopping off the berth while keeping her optics trained on me.

I shifted uncomfortably in Sunny's lap at the intensity of her glare. I tried to get off his knee, but he tightened his arms around me. "Where are you going?" He asked curiously.

Solstice smiled and walked over to us, stopping just next to Sunstreaker and beginning to stroke up and down his neck. "Yeah, you should stay and tell me about yourself." She smiled sweetly at me.

I blinked at her. "Umm.. What?"

"Tell me about yourself." She insisted.

I didn't know how to respond, and was infinitely relieved when I received a comm. :•Molly? Where are you?•:

"Ironhide?" I said, so surprised I spoke out loud. Why was Ironhide of all mechs looking for me?

Sideswipe looked at me weirdly. "No. This is Sol. And that's Sunstreaker, and I'm Sideswipe."

I shook my head at him and replied to Ironhide, telling him I was med bay.

:•Well, meet me in the main hangar.•: he replied grouchily.

My face must have shown my confusion, because Sunstreaker laughed at me. "What's he saying?"

"He wants to meet me in the main hangar." I said in bewilderment.

"Tell him he is NOT allowed to use you as a target for practice again." Ratchet said irately.

:•Ratchet says you're not allowed to use me as a target•: I sent him nervously.

:•Tch! That was one time! Just come to the main hangar. Annabelle is visiting, and wants to see you.•:

"Oh." I stood up off Sunstreaker's lap. This time, he didn't pull me back down. "I'm going to go meet Ironhide. I'll see you later."

"Bye!" Solstice smiled and waved.

I blinked, then waved slightly and exited the room quickly. She just made me feel awkward. I practically ran down the halls, narrowly avoiding stepping on human soldiers. I slowed to a walk as I entered the main hangar, and grinned widely when I saw Ironhide standing by the hangar door with Annabelle sitting on his shoulder.

"Hey, Annie." I greeted as I walked up to them.

Annabelle gaped at me. "Whoa! Molly? Holy crap, you look awesome!" She jumped to her feet, just about balancing on Ironhide's shoulder. "If Simon could see you in robot mode, he'd shit himself!"

"Language." Ironhide rumbled, his voice thick with amusement.

I grinned at her. "I know. I look great, don't I?"

She grinned back and clapped her hands. "All you need is a coat of really colourful paint! Maybe.. Pink?"

I shook my head. "No. Not pink."

Ironhide snorted. "Your father got her a pink teddy bear when she was a sparkling and she ate its head."

Annabelle laughed as my cheeks darkened with energon. "Okay, not pink then. What colour do you want?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it kind of depends on what car I scan."

Annabelle gasped and leaned forwards, causing Ironhide to panic silently and wave his arms to try and prevent her from falling. "Have you scanned a car yet?"

"No." I smiled sheepishly. "Not yet."

"Well, when you do it's going to be awesome!" She said enthusiastically.

I grinned at her, just as I got a comm. from Bluestreak asking if I wanted to meet him in the rec. room to watch a movie. "Hey, d'you wanna watch a movie with me and Bluestreak?"

Annabelle beamed and nodded. "Yeah, sure. I don't think I've met Bluestreak yet."

Ironhide muttered something unintelligible before picking Annabelle up of his shoulder and holding her out. "Don't drop her." He warned.

I grinned at him as I took her gently in my hands. "Would I ever?"

He just glared at me suspiciously as I turned and began walking towards the rec. room with Annabelle cradled in my hands. "'Hide's a bit protective." I laughed.

She shrugged. "It's kind of embarrassing." She admitted as we walked in to the rec room.

Bluestreak was already setting up the DVD, and glanced up when we walked in. "Hey!" He beamed. "I already picked the movie, I hope you don't- oh. You brought a friend! Hi, I'm Bluestreak!"

Annabelle waved at him. "Hey there. Haven't met you before. I'm Annabelle."

"Hi there, Annabelle. Would you happen to be Major Lennox's daughter? He talks about you a lot. Heh, maybe I'm being a bit of a hypocrite when I say that he talks a lot. People tend to think I'm annoying because I never shut up-"

"You're not annoying, Blue." I sighed as I sat down on the couch and placed Annabelle on my knee. "What movie is it?"

Blue smiled slightly as he sat next to us on the couch. "Well, I looked around on the Internet for a good movie, and a website said that this was a famous film. It's called 'the Titanic'"

I blinked at him. "Um... Blue, I don't know if it's a good idea to watch-"

"No, no, it's meant to be a really good movie!" He insisted.

I glanced at Annabelle uncertainly, but she just shrugged. "Okay." I sighed in defeat as the movie started.

_"Don't let go, Rose."_

_"I'll never let go."_

I shifted uncomfortably as Bluestreak cried on my shoulder, his energon tears sliding down my arm. I knew it was a bad idea to watch this movie. Annabelle had been spared the torture of having to sit through Bluestreak crying as Leonardo DiCaprio sank into the freezing water and Kate Winslet cried out for help, because Ironhide had collected her early as Will wanted to spend some quality time with his baby girl.

After what seemed like forever, the ending music came on.

"_Near, far, wherever you are, I believe that the heart does go on. Once more, you open the door and you're here in my heart, and my heart will go on and on. Love can touch just one time, and last for a lifetime..."_

Suddenly, Bluestreak let out an almighty wail and buried his helm in his hands. I jumped, startled at his outburst. All I could do was stare at him in shock as he cried.

I patted his shoulder strut awkwardly, trying to find some way of comforting him. I seriously hated that movie. I had cried SO much watching it when I had been human.

Mere seconds later, Optimus, Ratchet, the twins, Solstice, Jazz and Prowl burst through the door with their weapons primed. The moment their optics fell on Bluestreak sobbing into my shoulder, their weapons lowered and they stared in shock.

"Wha'-?" Jazz began, but was cut off by Optimus.

"We heard a commotion. We thought something had happened." The Prime looked at Bluestreak worriedly.

"Umm.. We were watching 'the Titanic'" I said sheepishly.

"_You're here, there's nothing I fear and I know that my heart will go on. We'll stand forever this way, you are safe in my heart and my heart will go on and on-"_

"No!" Bluestreak wailed. "That's not fair!"

I patted his helm helplessly and glanced at Prowl for assistance.

The SIC just stared blankly at Blue. "This reaction is quite illogical."

Bluestreak glared furiously at him, wiping blue energon tears off his cheeks. "No it's not! You didn't see it! Rose was just clinging to that board, and Jack was freezing to death in the water, but he just wanted her to be safe! He only cared about Rose! He died for her!" He buried his head in my shoulder again. "And it was a TRUE STORY!"

"Blue, it was based on a true story. The Titanic was an actual ship, and it did sink, but I don't think Jack and Rose were real." I tried to comfort him.

He raised his head and stared at me. "They're not real?"

I shook my head quickly. "No."

Prowl sighed. "Maybe it's time for recharge, Bluestreak."

Blue nodded and stood up, before glancing back at the TV. Energon tears welled up in his optics again. I stood up quickly, and before he could start crying I again, I said "Goodnight!" and rushed for the door.

Ratchet caught my arm before I could leave and frowned. "What the frag were you watching?"

"The Titanic'... It's a pretty sad movie." I admitted.

"How come you didn't have as big a reaction as Bluestreak had?" He glanced over to Bluestreak, who was now being comforted by Jazz and Prowl.

"I've seen the movie before." I told him. "And Bluestreak is... Bluestreak."

Sideswipe rolled his optics. "I'm going back to berth." He announced, taking Solstice's hand, who in turn took Sunstreaker's, and left the room.

I glanced down. "Umm... I'm gonna go to bed, okay?"

Ratchet nodded slowly. "I'll be there in an hour or so."

I nodded and said goodnight again before heading out the door.

I had just reached the door to our quarters and was typing in the code, when someone appeared out of thin air next to me. "Why, hello there."

I screamed and jumped back in shock. "Wh- Mirage?!"

The shiny red 'bot smirked, clearly pleased with my reaction. "Indeed."

I stared at him in total shock. "What? How?"

"I was invisible, my dear."

I gaped at him. "Are you being serious?"

"Yes, of course. I am always serious. Except for when I am joking. Would you like to see?" He asked, smiling winningly.

"See you joking or see you go invisible?" I asked uncertainly.

Mirage threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, my dear Molly. You're very funny." He ignored my bewildered stare, and began to focus.

I jumped back in surprise as the next minute he was invisible. "Mirage..?" I asked tentatively, looking around.

"I'm here." He breathed right next to my audio receiver.

I jerked around try and face him but he wasn't there. "Okay, you're freaking me out."

"Molly?" I turned around and saw the twins and Solstice walking up the hallway. Sideswipe had his optic ridges raised at me. "What are you doing?"

"Mirage was here a second ago, and now he's just.. He just went- I can't see him!" I tried to explain.

Sunstreaker narrowed his optics. "Yeah, he does that."

I felt someone's fingers brush along my hips, and I squealed in surprise and jumped forwards. "Mirage!" I could feel my cheeks darken with energon as he chuckled deeply at me.

Sideswipe frowned. "What did he do?"

"He- whoa! No!" I jumped away as his fingers ran along my aft. "No! No touchy!"

Sunstreaker's face darkened. "Molly. What's he doing?"

I could feel my face tint darker with the energon blush. "N-nothing."

Solstice frowned. "That's not very convincing."

I would have glared at her and snapped something in response, but Mirage surprised me by whispering "Will you go out with me for energon some time? I would love to take you somewhere special."

"But you can't." I pointed out. "My dad would kill you if you did."

Sunstreaker frowned dangerously. "If he did what?"

Mirage hummed thoughtfully in my audio receptor. "I can come back tomorrow... after all, you agreed to have energon with me."

I frowned slightly. "I don't remember agreeing to that."

"Don't remember agreeing to WHAT?" Sideswipe's optics had narrowed and were eyeing the space around me, as if he was trying to see the invisible Mirage.

"Well... I would be honoured if you would have some with me. Your overprotective friends can come if you wish them to, but it probably wouldn't be very romantic." Mirage whispered thoughtfully, and I could practically hear the grin in his voice.

The thought of me and Mirage along with Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Solstice on some bizarre double date almost made me recoil. "No, thank you."

"Thats right! Just say no!" Sideswipe nodded approvingly.

"Mirage, if you touch her we will rip you apart." Sunstreaker growled dangerously.

Solstice rolled her eyes and elbowed him. "Oh, leave her be. She's a femme! Let her have some fun." She eyed me up again, giving me the uncomfortable feeling that she was assessing me.

"See?" Mirage said quietly. "You're a femme! You should have some fun! I can give you fun. I promise. You'll never want any other fun other then the fun I give you. Femmes have told me that I'm very good with fun."

My face scrunched up. "Ew."

Sunstreaker growled. "What? What did he say?"

"Oh, stop being so protective!" Solstice said frustratedly.

"We can't! She's like our little sister!" Sideswipe protested.

I could feel my spark sink. '_Little sister_'? Was that how they thought of me? I probably shouldn't have expected anything different, considering that they practically helped raise me, but I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"So..?" Mirage insisted in my audio.

I struggled not to simply turn around and slap him. "No. Thank you. But no."

"Why not?" He asked, sounding faintly disappointed.

"Because, as flattering as your strange obsession with trying to get me to go out with you is, I really don't want to." I said. I wasn't too great at letting people down easily...

There was a small sigh. "You'll agree some time. You won't be able to resist my charm forever." He said cockily.

I almost choked. "Right. Well. As irresistible as you may be, I think you should get out of here before my dad gets back. He commed me a minute ago to say he's on his way." I lied quickly.

"Oh. Well in that case, I must go. My dear Molly, parting is such sweet sorrow-"

"Get out of here, Mirage." I said irritably. "I hate Shakespeare." I couldn't see him, but I could hear his footsteps retreating down the hall. I swore quietly and turned back to my door, keying in the code again and momentarily forgetting about the twins and Solstice.

"Bringing out the Ratchet threat. I thought that was last resort." Sideswipe sounded half amused and half annoyed.

I turned around to face them as I stepped in the doorway. "I was seconds away from attacking him. I wasn't sure whether to whip out the death threat or the Ratchet threat."

Sunstreaker raised an optic ridge. "Aren't they the same thing?"

Solstice giggled. "Oh, stop! Mirage wasn't causing any harm."

Sunstreaker glowered. "Next time I see him, I'm going to-"

"Beat the slag out of him?" Sideswipe offered. "I'll hold him down.

"Boys!" Solstice looked horrified. "No one will be beating anyone!"

I almost commented on how strange it was that she looked so opposed to physical violence if she had been a soldier in the war, but I held myself back. "I'm tired, I'm going to go to bed."

Solstice frowned. "You mean berth? Like, you're going to recharge?"

I stared blankly at her. "Yes. What the hell did you think I meant?"

"She says things strangely sometimes." Sideswipe said quietly to Solstice.

I internally winced. I couldn't help but talk like a human. It was one of the things that made me stand out from regular Cybertronians, like a huge sign saying "weirdo alert!". It was just obvious I didn't belong naturally to the Cybertronian race. "Ummm... I have to go now. I'll see you guys to tomorrow, right?"

Sideswipe glanced at his brother. "Actually, I don't think you will. We were planning on showing Sol around Earth. You know, bring her to some monuments or something. She loves history stuff."

The blue and green 'bot giggled and nodded. "It's going to be so romantic!"

I forced a smile. "Oh. Well, enjoy yourselves. Bye." I waved at them and closed the door, before flopping face-down on the berth. I lay there for what seemed like hours, and that's the way Ratchet found me when he came in.

"Are you okay, sweetspark?" He asked, sitting on the berth next to me.

I nodded. "Fine. How's Bluestreak?" I rolled over onto my back so I could look at him.

"He's calmed down. He kept talking about-"

"Jack and Rose?" I guessed.

Ratchet nodded. "I almost had to sedate him, but Prowl managed to calm him down." He lay down on the berth next to me. "Is something bothering you, my dear?"

I turned my head to the side so I could face him. "Nothing new."

"The twins?" He guessed.

I blushed slightly at how easy he guessed, and my cooling fans switched on very quietly to cool down my energon heated face plates. "Yeah. It's fine though. I'm going to have to find something new to do tomorrow though. The twins are busy."

"I believe Ironhide wishes to teach you how to fight." Ratchet sounded extremely displeased as he scowled at the wall.

I sat up straighter. "Why would I need to know how to fight?"

Ratchet's scowl deepened. "I suppose you can never be too careful, what with the Decepticons. They may be in hiding since Megatron offlined, but that doesn't mean they're gone. Ironhide pointed out that it would be far safer if you knew how to fight, just in case."

"And you're letting me?" I asked, surprise colouring my voice.

Ratchet vented warm air, making me giggle as it warmed my face. "He had a valid point. I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to you because you didn't know how to defend yourself. Get some recharge, sweetspark. I wouldn't want to be taking on Ironhide tomorrow without proper rest." He pressed his lips to the top of my helm.

I nodded and rolled onto my side before curling my legs up to my chest in my usual sleeping pose. "'Night, dad." I said softly.

He wrapped his arm around me protectively, in his usual recharging stance. "Goodnight, my dear."

I didn't get much sleep that night. My thoughts were full of Lamborghinis, blue and green femmes and a large, sinking ship.


	17. Chapter 17

**Yay, update! The reason it's so early I because I won't be able to update this weekend :/ im sorry! But you have this chapter now! I know it's a bit short, but I hope you enjoy it!**

I groaned in pain as my body was slammed onto the hard floor yet again.  
"Come on, kid." Ironhide growled, rolling his optics. "Get up."  
"'Hide, you're killing me." I moaned. "Is this because I stuck those My Little Pony stickers on your bumper while you were recharging? Because I said sorry!"  
"Molly. Get up." Ironhide growled impatiently.  
I whimpered and managed to stand up. Everywhere hurt, and we had barely been training for an hour.  
"Try again." He instructed.  
I vented and tried to hit him again, but he grabbed my arm and flipped me over, letting me land very painfully on the ground, just like he had been doing since we started.  
"I'm starting to think you're a sadist." I groaned into the ground.  
Ironhide chuckled. "Up."  
"No."  
"Molly. Get up."  
"No."  
Ironhide sighed. "We have to keep training."  
"No."  
"Molly. Please?"  
"No."  
"Slaggit, stand up for Primus' sake!"  
"No!"  
Ironhide growled before attempting to calm himself. "Alright. Fine." He went silent for moment, and I realised he was comming someone.  
I turned my face so I could see him. "Who did you call?"  
"Bumblebee." He replied shortly.  
"Why?" I asked curiously.  
"So you can fight him. He'll probably want to go easy on you." Ironhide shrugged.  
"I'm not getting up." I turned my head back so that my face was pressed into the ground. "I like it down here."  
Ironhide growled impatiently just as the doors to the training room slid open and Bumblebee walked in. The yellow and black 'bot hesitated confusedly at the sight of me lying face down on the floor and Ironhide growling above me.  
"Get her up!" Ironhide pointed angrily at me.  
'Bee glanced helplessly at me. "What?" Played from his radio.  
"You are going to fight her." Ironhide pointed firmly at Bumblebee's face.  
Bumblebee's optics widened and he shook his helm furiously. "No way, no way, no way!" a clip from The Simpsons played from his radio.  
I vented and sat up. "I'll get up, but you have to promise to take it easy on me. I'm not a fighter."  
"You will be when I'm done." Ironhide growled.  
I chose to ignore him as I took Bumblebee's outstretched hand and he helped me to my feet. "Ready?"  
Bumblebee nodded uncertainly. I threw a punch like Ironhide had shown me. Bumblebee blocked it, but didn't flip me over. I was extremely thankful for that.  
"Okay, kick him." Ironhide instructed, watching closely from the side.  
I glanced nervously at 'Bee, before swinging my leg at him. He caught it and pulled gently, causing me to fall on my aft. I swept my other leg under his, causing him to fall too.  
Unfortunately, he fell on top of me. I burst out laughing and tried to push him off. "God, 'Bee! What do you eat?"  
He made a little chirping sound that I assumed was laughter and pushed himself off of me. "Sorry- Moll- eee." several different clips played on his radio.  
"For Primus' sake! If a Decepticon fell on you like that in battle, you'd be dead or worse!" Ironhide yelled angrily from the side.  
I frowned slightly at him. "What's worse?"  
"For a femme? Don't ask." He growled, glaring at me.  
I blinked, before quickly turning back to Bumblebee. "Okay, ready?"  
'Bee nodded, and we began the fight again.

Half an hour later, I collapsed on a couch in the rec room. My whole body was aching, and if metal could bruise, I would be black and blue all over.  
"Moll-eeee!" Epps' cheerful voice sang.  
I groaned loudly and turned over, burying my head in the couch. "I'm too tired, Epps."  
"Bullshit. You can never be too tired for the Epps-bomb."  
"Go away." I mumbled as I felt him climbing up my back. I held back the urge to shake him off.  
"Nope. C'mon, we're going on a field trip." He said, making it to my shoulder and standing there.  
I turned my head so I could see him and raised an optic ridge. "Really? A field trip? To where?"  
"Ireland." He grinned excitedly.  
"Epps! I'm too tired to go to a foreign country." I sighed.  
"No, it's okay! I got a map." He insisted.  
"Epps. You realise that I have sat-nav, right?"  
"You do?! That is all kinds of awesome."  
I grinned slightly and sat up, picking Epps up in my hand. "Why do you want to go to Ireland so badly?"  
"Because, my dear, I am going to try out my new Irish vocabulary." He said proudly.  
"They speak English in Ireland."  
"What?" Epps stared at me. "No they don't. That's ridiculous. They speak Irish."  
"No, they don't. They speak English." I told him.  
"Wh- shit! That's completely ridiculous! Damn, do they actually?"  
I nodded. "I'll go another time, 'kay?"  
"Alright." He sighed, turning and walking out. "But I'm counting on that!  
I turned over on the couch so I was more comfortable, and then offlined my optics.  
Before I knew it I had slipped into recharge.  
I came back online a couple of hours later. I realised that it must have been late, as it was dark outside.  
I stood and stretched, feeling the metal plates throughout my body groan in protest. I glanced out the window again and almost leapt out of my armor when I saw movement outside. I tentatively moved to the window to look outside.  
At first I couldn't see anything, but then my optics adjusted to the darkness and I could see the shape of Bluestreak sitting on the ground outside and staring up at the stars.  
A little pang of sadness went through me at how lonely he looked, and within seconds I was on my way out to him.  
He glanced around, startled, when he heard my approach, but relaxed when I came into view. "Oh. Hi, Molly."  
I smiled and settled down beside him. "Hey. Is everything alright?"  
Bluestreak nodded quickly. "Of course! I just... come out here sometimes to look at the stars."  
I turned my gaze to the stars. "They're beautiful." I said truthfully. It was a cold, clear night with next to no clouds in the sky to block our view.  
"I know." He whispered back. "See that star there? In between the two really bright ones?"  
I looked for the one he was talking about and nodded when I had found it. It was almost nonexistent: far too small for the human eye to pick out. "The tiny one? Yes."  
"That is what's left of Cybertron. You can only ever see it on clear nights such as this one." He smiled slightly.  
"Really? That's so cool!" I grinned, and glanced next to me at Blue. He was gazing sadly at the sky, and didn't say anything. "Blue? What's the real reason you came out here?"  
Bluestreak vented quietly and turned to look at me. "Nightmares." He whispered, glancing away embarrassedly.  
Nightmares? I didn't even know that Cybertronians could dream. It certainly wasn't something I had encountered yet. "Oh. About... Cybertron?" I guessed.  
Energon tears welled up in his optics as he nodded. "About the war. I tried to delete the memories from my memory banks, but it wouldn't let me. I just... I don't want to see it anymore. I don't want to watch any more 'bots dying."  
I stared at him, at a loss for what to do. I placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "Do you.. Um.. Want to talk? Because I'm a very good listener."  
Blue gave me a tiny smile. "I know. You're the only one who ever listens to me."  
"Hey, that's not true. Lots of people listen to you."  
"No they don't. They think I'm annoying. That's okay though, I am annoying."  
"You're not annoying, Blue." I told him firmly.  
He just gazed into the sky. "I don't want to see it anymore." He mumbled, rubbing his optics as energon tears rolled down his faceplates.  
I gazed at him for a moment, before wrapping him up in a hug. "Shhh... It's alright." I murmured as though he were a baby.  
He sobbed slightly, but muffled the sound by burying his head in my shoulder. "It was bad enough to witness it first hand. What did I do that was bad enough to be haunted by the memory feeds every night?"  
I pulled back slightly to look down at him. "Wait, every night?" I asked. He nodded and wiped away an energon tear. "And you've only told me now?"  
"I wanted to deal with it on my own." He whispered. "A soldier isn't meant to cry."  
"Oh, Blue." I whispered sadly. "You're not a soldier. You _were_ a soldier in the war, not now. You don't have to pretend for _anyone_."  
Bluestreak glanced away, his chassis heaving slightly as he worked to contain his sobs. "I just.. I just..."  
I hugged him again, and this time he hugged me back and sobbed into my neck. "It's okay, Blue. It's going to be okay."  
"Promise?"  
I looked down at his huge, round optics. "Yeah. I promise."  
He took an intake of air to steady himself. "Okay."  
I smiled slightly and wiped the rest of his tears off his energon stained face. "Are you ready to go inside?"  
Bluestreak nodded and stood up. He held out a hand to help me up, and then walked me back inside.  
We were almost at my quarters when Bluestreak spoke up again suddenly. "Thank you."  
I glanced at him. "For what?"  
"For- for everything." He mumbled.  
"Blue, all I did was listen." I frowned.  
He shook his helm. "And you reassured me. I just.. I needed someone to do that." He smiled.  
I smiled back and squeezed his shoulder. "You're like my big brother, Blue. I'm here anytime you want to talk. You realise that, right?"  
Bluestreak smiled. "Thank you." He repeated, giving me a hug. "I've never had a sister before."  
I smiled and hugged him back, before stepping up to the door and entering the code. "See you tomorrow." I smiled as I walked in to the room. He waved back as the doors closed, and I turned back to the room to see Ratchet glaring at me. "Oh. Hey, dad."  
"Where were you?" He growled.  
"Um... Outside."  
"Out..side? Why?" He asked, clearly surprised. Whatever answer he had been expecting, it wasn't that one.  
"Bluestreak." Was all I said, walking over to the berth and laying down on it.  
Ratchet frowned. "What about him?"  
I hesitated to say anything, before realising Ratchet could help. "Dad, is there anything you can give a 'bot if they don't want to dream?"  
Ratchet blinked, clearly taken aback by the question. "What? Well.. I suppose there is. We don't exactly dream. Usually, our memories from the back of our memory banks are projected to the front. Or, our processors can sometimes take memories and create alternate endings, be they good endings or bad ones. I'm guessing this is about Bluestreak and his memories of the war on Cybertron?" I nodded, and he sighed, "It always affected him strongly, as he was so young."  
"Is there anything you can do?" I asked, looking at him with big optics.  
He vented. "I'll try tomorrow. How did training with Ironhide go?"  
I made a face. "Don't mention it. I think I'm about to fall apart." Ratchet whirled around, a terrified look on his face. "No, no! I'm joking! I'm only joking! I'm not really going to fall apart!"  
Ratchet relaxed and glared at me. "Don't scare me like that."  
"Sorry." I muttered. "I didn't think you would actually take me seriously." Ratchet muttered to himself and shook his head. I couldn't help but smile as I watched him pick up a couple of data pads to read over. "Are you researching the thing for Blue?" Ratchet grunted an affirmative. "Thank you."  
He glanced up at me and his optics softened. "Anything for you, sweetspark."  
I smiled. "I love you."  
"I love you more, my dear."


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey! Okay, so thank you for all the reviews :D I own none of the songs! They belong to their respective owners. In order, they go: Sad, Beautiful, Tragic by Taylor Swift, Red by Taylor Swift, Remains of The Day by Danny Elfman and Tears To Shed by Helena Bonham Carter :) thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoy and if you do, please review xxx**

_Tap_

_Tap_

_Tap._

He probably doesn't realise he's doing it, I reasoned. There is no reason to smack him.

_Tap_

_Tap_

_Tap_

Don't smack him.

_Tap _

_Tap_

_Ta-_

"OW! Molly! What was _that_ for?!" Jazz winced, holding his helm.

"Tapping. Stop tapping!" I groaned.

"Sorry. Didn' realise I _was_ tapping." Jazz muttered, scooting away from me slightly.

"Why are we here?" I asked, twisting my metal hands nervously. Waiting outside Prowl's office tended to make me anxious.

"I don' know. Did yo' do anythin' stupid in the past twenty four hours?" Jazz rolled his helm back to look at me. I didn't know how he could possibly be so relaxed.

"Past twenty four hours?" I thought back. "No."

Jazz raised an optic ridge. "And did you do anything stupid before that?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I did."

Jazz shrugged as the door to Prowl's office opened and the black and white mech himself stood in the doorway. "You may enter."

Jazz stood up and languidly made his way inside. I scurried after him, wishing I could look as carefree.

Prowl gestured to the chairs in front of his desk, and we sat down. Prowl sat at his own chair behind his desk and interlocked his fingers as he watched us. I was forcibly reminded of sitting in the principals office so many years ago. "Now," Prowl began, "I think you know why you're here."

Jazz and I shared a look. "Not really." He said calmly, leaning casually in his chair.

Prowl glared at him. It was a miracle Jazz didn't wilt under that glare, but he stayed as irritatingly cool as always. "Yes, you do." Prowl said dangerously.

"No, we don't." I said nervously. "Are we in trouble?"

"Yes." Prowl said primly.

"...why?" I asked when Prowl didn't elaborate.

"I think you know."

"No, we don't." I repeated, beginning to feel irritated.

Prowl raised an optic ridge. "Really? So you have no idea who put tiny multicoloured pieces of sparkling material in Ironhide's exhaust pipe?"

I couldn't stop the snort of laughter that escaped me. "Someone put rainbow glitter up Ironhide's exhaust pipe?! Damn! Why didn't I think of that?! Did it make a little rainbow cloud when he tried to drive?" I asked excitedly.

Prowl narrowed his optics at me, but Jazz spoke before he could, "Hang on. Why are we here? We're lookin' at a prank here, yet I don' see no twins in yo' office."

"The twins had an alibi." Prowl said emotionlessly.

"An alibi? This ain't a murder or nothin', Prowler." Jazz grinned.

Prowl narrowed his optics at him. "Do not call me that. Did you do it or not?"

"No, I didn'." Jazz leaned relaxedly back in his chair. "An' Molly didn' either, judgin' by her reaction."

Prowl clenched his denta thoughtfully. "And do you know who may have done it?"

"Nope."

Prowl vented. "Then you may leave."

Jazz grinned and stood up, stretching languidly. "You busy later, Prowler?"

_"Get out."_ Prowl growled.

I giggled and left the office, leaving Jazz to annoy Prowl. I walked down the hall, humming very quietly. I wasn't altogether sure where I was headed, but I walked in that direction anyway. I arrived at the main hangar a few minutes later and glanced around.

"Hey, Molly."

I glanced around and smiled when I saw Will by my foot. "Hi, Will." I greeted, crouching down to talk to him.

"How are you doing?" He asked absently, tapping away on a tablet in his arms.

"Alright. What are you doing?" I asked curiously, trying to look at the screen of his tablet.

He lowered it with a sigh of frustration. "I don't even know. My brain is fried. I'm trying to form a military strategy for going in to investigate an energon signal, but I've been told by my superiors that I have to use this stupid piece of technology!" He waved the tablet in the air.

"You should ask Wheeljack." I suggested, "He knows stuff about technology."

"No, he might blow it up." Will sighed, before patting my foot. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'll figure it out."

I smiled and nodded, before a question occurred to me. "So, you're going to an energon location, huh?"

"Yeah." Will said absently, back to tapping on his tablet.

"Um.. Would.. Can I come?"

Will's hand stilled above the screen as he tilted his head back to see my face. "What?"

"Please?"

"Molly, I don't think that's a good idea." He said hesitantly.

"But I've been training with Ironhide. I know how to fight."

"No, you know how to get beaten up. Completely different." Will shook his head.

"I don't get beaten up that much anymore! Only a bit." I reasoned.

"That's because Ratchet taught you how to fix your injuries." Will raised a brow.

I sighed. "Can you think about it? I just want to get away from the base."

"You get away from the base almost every weekday!"

"School doesn't count." I stood up to my full height.

Will sighed. "I'll think about it."

I beamed at him. "Thank you! Good luck with your work." He waved me off as I walked to the main exit of the hangar.

I walked out into the sun and smiled as the warmth began to heat up the plates on my body. I looked around to try and find somewhere to sit.

I ended up sitting on the roof of the main hangar, my legs dangling over the edge. The view was beautiful, with the sun shining so brightly in between the trees. I lay back on the roof and smiled as the sun warmed me up further.

I was so relaxed that when a message pinged up on my HUD I almost activated my battle protocols from the surprise. I calmed down and lay back when I realised it was a message from my dad. _~Sideswipe has a severely injured shoulder joint. It's almost hanging off his body. I need immediate help in fixing him. LOL~_

I sat up in shock at the message. ~_Why is that funny?~_ I sent in reply to him.

~_It isn't funny, Molly! Get over here!~_

I blinked my optics in confusion before jumping off the roof and heading back inside, making my way straight for the med bay. I was careful not to step on any soldiers as I got to the door and it slid open for me. Sideswipe was lying on a medical berth, grinning at Sunstreaker and Solstice, who were both standing by his berthside.

"Dad, 'LOL' means 'laughing out loud'." I told him as I walked over to where he was inspecting Sideswipe's shoulder.

His head shot up to look at me. "It does? Oh. I thought it meant 'lots of love'."

Sideswipe snorted. "LOL."

"Stop talking." Sunstreaker scowled at him. "You're just gonna make it worse."

I peered around Ratchet to get a look at Sides' shoulder joint. Ratchet hadn't been kidding when he said it was almost hanging off. The only thing still connecting his arm to his body were a couple of sparking wires. "Ouch." I commented.

"Is he going to be okay?" Solstice leaned forwards.

"He'll be fine." Ratchet said irritably. "He just has to stop doing stupid things."

"This is Sideswipe you're talking about." Sunny rolled his optics.

"Hey!" Sideswipe grinned at him, but it looked pained.

Ratchet vented. "I suggest turning off your pain receptors. Molly, the wire cutters."

Sideswipe's optics widened as I got the tool and handed it to Ratchet. "Whoa! You're just going to cut it off?!"

Ratchet raised an optic ridge. "Problem?"

I rolled my optics. "Sides, turn off your pain receptors. He's going to sever the remaining wires and then reconnect the arm." My voice had turned clinically cold.

Sideswipe hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. Ready."

Ratchet bent closer and began cutting the wires. "Molly, will you start the repairs on his arm while I ready his shoulder joint?"

I nodded and took the shiny red arm Ratchet handed me over to the repairs table. "How did this even happen?" I called over my shoulder as I began the repairs necessary on the red appendage.

"I got mauled by-"

Sunstreaker cut his twin off mid-sentence. "He was showing off and he fell." He said bluntly. Solstice giggled.

I grinned and held back a laugh. "Nice."

Ratchet turned his head to me suddenly. "Why were you in Prowl's office earlier?" He asked sharply.

I glanced up from my work on Sideswipe's arm. "What?"

"Prowl told me he talked to you in his office. Why?"

"Oh." I glanced back down at Sideswipe's arm. "He wanted to know if I put rainbow glitter up Ironhide's tailpipe."

"Did you?!" Ratchet whirled around to face me fully.

"No! It's been over twenty four hours since I've done something stupid." I protested, reconnecting loose wires in the elbow joint.

"Rainbow glitter? Why the slag didn't we think of that?" Sideswipe turned to Sunstreaker with wide optics.

Sunstreaker tilted his head thoughtfully. "Who did it, then? He asked us if it was us, but we were out with Solstice."

I shrugged. "Don't know."

Both Ratchet and I went silent as we turned our attention completely to our work. The twins and Solstice continued to talk and laugh behind me, but neither Ratchet or I made a sound as we worked: Ratchet because he was concentrating fully on Sideswipe's shoulder joint, and me because I was trying to block out the twins flirting with Solstice.

When I was almost finished the repairs on the arm, I got another message. I was so engrossed in my work that it startled me so much I almost fell off the chair.

"Molly?" Ratchet asked sharply.

"I'm fine! Sorry, a message startled me." I explained as I opened the message. It was a text.

-_Hey! It's Annabelle :) I got your contact details from my dad! I was just wondering if there were any rainbow coloured incidents_ _recently involving 'Hide?-_

My entire face lit up as I grinned in delight. -_Oh my Primus, it _

_was you_! _You_ _are a GENIUS! Everyone is wondering who it was!-_

"Molly?" Ratchet repeated, sounding worried now.

I blinked twice, then looked up at him. "Oh, sorry. I just- I know who pranked Ironhide." I laughed.

"Who?" Sideswipe probably would have shot straight up off the berth if Ratchet hadn't pressed down on his chassis, preventing him from getting up.

"Annabelle." I grinned, picking up his arm and carrying it carefully over to Ratchet.

"Annabelle.. Major Lennox's creation?" Sunstreaker asked, clearly surprised.

I nodded, still grinning widely. "Yep."

:•_Molly_?•:

My optics dimmed as I opened the comm. link. :•_Hey, Bluestreak. You okay?_•:

:•_Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. I was just wondering if we were still going to have a movie night tonight.•:_

The whole 'Titanic' incident was still fresh in my mind as I cautiously replied. :•_Which_ _movie_?•:

:•_Nothing sad!•:_ was the immediate reply. :•_I'm not sure.. When Annabelle was here last, she mentioned something about a corpse bride or something-•:_

_:•The Corpse Bride? Like the Tim Burton movie?•_: I asked. I had LOVED that movie when I was human. Myself and my best friend Beth had watched it every single Hallowe'en. Thinking of old memories made me sad, and I quickly turned my mind away from the subject. _:•I love that movie!•:_

:•_Yay! So we can watch it then! I'll download it now. Are the twins coming?•:_

_:• I don't know... Can you comm. them and ask? I'd rather not ask in front of Solstice... She kind of scares me a bit.•: I_ admitted.

:•_Sure. See you later._•:

I blinked my optics as I noticed a light blue hand being waved in front of my face, pulling me from my trance. "Wh-?"

"Are you okay?" Solstice was gazing at me worriedly.

"Oh, yeah." I blinked again.

"You completely zoned out." Sideswipe snickered.

I shook my helm. "Sorry." I said, holding out the arm towards my dad, who took it gingerly and began to connect it to Sideswipe's shoulder.

"Who was it?" Ratchet asked casually as he worked.

"Uh, Bluestreak." I said as I took a step back and away from Solstice, who was still watching me.

"Hmmm.." Was his only reply.

"Was everything all right?" Solstice asked worriedly.

"Yep." I said absently.

"Movie night tonight." Sideswipe said suddenly. "Blue just commed me. Is that what he was talking about to you?"

I nodded, watching Ratchets hands as they worked.

"Wanna go?" He grinned at Solstice.

Solstice smiled. "Sure. Do you do this often?"

"Every week." He nodded.

Solstice giggled. "Then I'd love to!"

"Tweezers." Ratchet said suddenly, not even glancing up from Sideswipe's shoulder joint.

I handed him the tool and watched as he touched up the wires hat were poking out. Once he was done, he leaned back and looked at me. "All that's left is cosmetic injuries. Would you mind?"

I just nodded and picked up the paint filler to cover up the scratches. I sat in front of Sideswipe's berth and pulled his arm over to me. "Stay still." I instructed as I began to fill the scratches.

"I am staying still, princess." He protested, grinning at me. I smiled back, but stayed focused on the scratches on his arm, struggling to ignore Solstice's scowl.

"I don't suppose there's any point in telling how stupid you were, or in telling you not to make such a half-processed mistake again, or how someday I might just refuse to fix you up like you expect me to." Ratchet scowled at Sideswipe as he passed me the spare tin of paint we kept in the med bay due to the twins' frequent trips to it.

"No point at all." Sideswipe grinned impishly, "But even if you did refuse to fix me, there's always Molly."

Ratchet growled. "I think you're taking my daughter for granted."

"Of course not!" Sideswipe said quickly. "No, I don't take Molly for granted!"

That statement was met with an awkward silence, during which I fixedly stared at Sideswipe's arm as I painted over scratches, Ratchet glared and Sunstreaker became very interested in the ceiling.

"Um..."

"Done." I said suddenly, pushing myself away from the medical berth.

"Uh, thanks." Sideswipe said awkwardly.

I shrugged and put the paint back where it belonged, before turning to my dad. "Do you need help with anything else?"

He shook his helm. "That was all. Practice for you, you know."

I smiled slightly and nodded. "Right. See you later, then?"

He nodded as I headed for the door. "Don't forget to take your energon!" He called sternly as I left the room.

"I won't!" I called back as I walked down the hall. Smiling, I made my way back outside the main hangar. The sun was still shining brightly as I hefted myself up on top of the roof again. I lay back comfortably and offlined my optics, enjoying the feel of the sun beating down on me.

I had almost fallen into recharge when someone called to me from below, "Hi, there!"

I sat up groggily and looked down at the ground from my perch on the roof. A young woman was standing down there, smiling up at me. "Umm... Hi..?"

"My name is Laurie." She waved. "I'm one of the new recruits."

I frowned and hopped down from the roof. I must have shaken the ground when I landed, because the woman would have fallen on her backside if I hadn't cupped my hand around her to prevent her from tripping. "New recruits?"

Laurie nodded, regaining her balance and smiling. "Yep. I can't believe it. You are an actual alien robot!" She laughed in delight.

"Yeah, I am." I smiled awkwardly as she stared at me. I hated it when people stared at me. "I'm not the only alien robot around here, you know."

"Oh, I know. You're only the third one I've seen though! And you're a girl!"

I nodded. "Yeah. Um, not to be rude, but shouldn't you be with the other recruits?"

Laurie flushed and looked away. "Oh. I didn't mean to bother you."

"No, you didn't bother me." I assured her quickly. "It's just that you'll be in trouble if they you've wandered off."

"The other recruits told me to go away, because I was annoying them." She confessed with a blush. "I was just looking for someone to talk to."

I realised suddenly that she reminded me a lot of Bluestreak. "Oh. Well, do you want to join me?"

Laurie's eyes widened. "Really? I would love to!"

I smiled and picked her up gently, ignoring her small yelp of surprise as she was lifted so high into the air, and jumped back up on the roof. I tried to make the jump as smooth as possible so I didn't startle the small human in my hand, but she still gasped and clung onto my thumb. "Are you okay?" I asked, eyeing her as I set her down on the roof next to me.

She grinned widely and nodded. "Yes, I'm good. That was amazing!" She edged closer to the corner of he roof and looked down, marvelling at how high up we were.

"Be careful." I warned cautiously, "If you fall and squash yourself, Optimus'll be on my ass."

Laurie laughed sweetly and moved away from the edge. "Are you alright?" She asked suddenly, watching my face carefully.

I glanced down at her, startled. "What? Of course, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." She pointed out.

I smiled at her. "I'm fine."

She nodded and looked away, before glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. "You remind me of my dead grandmother." She announced suddenly.

I turned to face her, startled. "I- what?"

"No, no! Not because you're- I just meant.. Okay hang on.." She thought for a moment about how to phrase what she meant. "Okay, I mean when my grandmother was dying, she used to be really happy. She'd smile and laugh when there were people looking, but the minute she thought no one was looking at her, she would let her sadness show. And she was very sad. You reminded me of her just now. You smile, but the minute you think no one is looking, you stop faking."

I stared at her blankly. "Right." I said, unsure of what exactly the proper reaction to that announcement would be.

"Do you want to talk? It might help." She said kindly.

I almost told her no, but before I could even think about, everything came spilling out. My entire life story from the moment the twins found me up until Solstice came. In fact, the only thing I held back was the fact that I had once been human. There was just something I liked about this girl, something I felt like I could trust.

Laurie listened carefully, nodding and looking sympathetic when appropriate. When I was done with my story, she patted my knee joint. "I'm so sorry, Molly."

I shrugged. "It's okay, I guess. It'll just take some getting used to. I've just got to move on, you know?"

"Maybe you should talk to the twins." She suggested.

"No!" I said quickly. "No way. That is so not going to happen."

Laurie made a face. "Yeah, I suppose I wouldn't want to have that conversation either. You know what? You should listen to Taylor Swift!"

I blinked at her confusedly. "What?"

"She has some great songs that would totally fit this situation, I'm telling you!" She said enthusiastically as she pulled her iPod out of her pocket. "Where can I plug this in?"

I watched her bemusedly as she looked me up and down, before climbing up my arm and reaching for the USB port in the crook of my elbow joint. "What are you-" I broke off as she plugged her iPod in.

"Now I have to find the right song... Gimme a second.." She said absently as she scrolled through her songs.

I held back a laugh as her tongue poked through her teeth in concentration as she searched. "Laurie, I-"

"Wait, I found a good one!" She beamed as she pressed play. I opened my mouth to speak again, but she shook her head and shushed me. "You have to listen to the lyrics!" She insisted.

I gave in and tilted my head as I listened to the music that was now issuing out of the speakers in my chest. "_A long, handwritten note deep in your pocket. Words, how little they mean when you're a little too late. I stood right by the tracks with your face in a locket-"_

"Laurie, what's the point-"

"Shhh! Molly, the lyrics!" She waved her hands frantically. "Listen!"

I shuttered my optics for a moment until I had regained my patience, then opened them again.

"_We had a beautiful magic love affair. What a sad, beautiful, tragic love affair."_

"We never had a _love affair-_" I began, but stopped at the look Laurie threw me. I resolved to just listen to the song.

"_And you've got you're demons and darling they all look like me. 'Cause we had a beautiful magic love affair. What a sad, beautiful, tragic love affair."_

I glanced at Laurie, and was startled to see she had tears rolling down her cheeks. I realised quickly that the song obviously meant something to her.

"_Distance, tire me, break down, fighting. Silence, this train runs off its tracks. Kiss me, try to fix it, would you just listen?"_

I glanced at Laurie as the song went on. She really was very pretty; she had tanned skin with dark, chocolatey hair that hung in adorable curls around her face, just tickling her jawline. Her eyes almost matched the colour of her hair perfectly, and were framed by dark lashes. She glanced up at me suddenly as the song ended and smiled slightly. "Reminds me of my ex-boyfriend." She told me.

It took me a moment to realise she was talking about the song. "Oh? What happened?"

She shrugged. "He was cheating on me. He left me for her." She sighed and turned back to her iPod. A smile lit up her face a moment later. "Oh, this one might suit!"

I was slightly startled by her sudden mood change, but didn't comment as she pressed play on a song and it began to play out of my speakers. It was an odd sensation, as I had never used my speakers before.

"_Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street. Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly.."_

I kept an optic on Laurie, curious to see if she would react as strongly as this song as she had to the other one. She just kept smiling however, and nodding her head in time with the music.

_"-Like the colours in Autumn, so bright just before they lose it all."_

I smiled slightly as Laurie stood up on my arm and began to sing along to the chorus, "_Losing him was blue like I'd never known, missing him was dark grey all alone. Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met. But loving him was red. Loving him was red_!" She even added in a little dance, making me smile.

"_Touching him was like realising all you ever wanted was right there in front of you-"_

"There's a particular bit in this song that reminds me of what you just said." Laurie said suddenly.

"What did I just say?" I asked, going back through my memory banks.

"You said that you just had to move on and had to let go." She reminded me. "This is the part of the song that reminds me of that."

She pointed to the speakers as the bridge began to play. "_Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes. Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go. But moving on from him is impossible when I still see it all in my head. Burning red. Loving him was red.. Oh, losing him was blue like I'd never known-"_

Laurie raised an eyebrow at me. "See?"

"Well. This has made me feel depressed." I lay back on the roof so I could look at the sky.

"I'm sorry." Laurie said quickly. "I didn't mean to upset you. Taylor Swift is just my favourite singer."

"You didn't upset me, don't worry." I assured her with a smile. "Does she have any happy songs?"

"Sure!" Laurie began scrolling through her iPod again. "Hang on.."

I let her talk on about Taylor Swift for the next twenty minutes, until my advanced audio receptors detected someone yelling the name "Lauren-Ann Jordan! Private Jordan!"

I turned the music way down until it was barely audible and raised an optic ridge at her. "Laurie wouldn't happen to be short for Lauren, would it?" I asked her.

She blinked, then nodded. "Yeah, it is. Why?"

"Lauren-Ann Jordan?" I asked.

She looked startled for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, that's me. Why-?"

"Someone is calling you. Sounds like Will." I said, tilting my head thoughtfully as I listened to the approaching voice growing louder.

"Will..?"

"Major Lennox." I clarified, before standing and holding out my hand for the startled girl. "Hop on."

She obeyed and unhooked her iPod from my arm. "I'm going to be in so much shit." She groaned. "Thanks for staying with me anyway."

I smiled at her. "My pleasure." I assured her as I jumped from the roof. She gave a short scream that cut off the moment I hit the ground. I laughed at her. "You're a soldier. Surely you're not scared of a little jump?"

She scowled and smacked me playfully. "Warn me next time."

"Jordan!" Will came around the corner of the main hangar and looked half relieved and half annoyed to see her in my hand. "Where the hell did you go?"

"She was with me." I told him as I set her down on the ground.

"I'm so sorry for wandering off, Major." She said nervously.

He clenched his jaw and shook his head. "Inside. With the other recruits."

Laurie ducked her head and nodded, walking back inside the main hangar. Before she disappeared through the entrance, she turned back and waved at me.

I returned the wave with a smile then turned back to Will once she had left. "She's not going to be in trouble, is she?"

"She should be. She should know better not to just wander off in an unfamiliar army base!" Will ran his hand through his short buzz-cut in his frustration.

"The other recruits told her to go away." I frowned.

"Molly, it's not middle school. If someone tells her to go away, she has to stand up for herself, not go and seek out an alien! What did you even talk about?"

I shifted awkwardly. "Oh. Umm.. We listened to Taylor Swift songs."

"Really?" Will raised an eyebrow. "Rough day?"

I laughed and shook my helm. "Yep. Anyway, I gotta get going. Movie night."

"What movie?" He called after my retreating back.

"The Corpse Bride." I called back as I walked into the main hangar. I became acutely aware of intense stares the moment I entered the large room, and turned my head to see a small group of soldiers gaping at me. I figured these must be all the new recruits. I had to bite my lip component to keep from laughing at their awe-struck faces. I saw Laurie sitting at the edge of the group and listening to her iPod.

She glanced up and smiled as I walked past. I gave her a little wave, and as I turned the corner, I saw the other recruits turn to gape at her in shock, obviously wondering how she knew an alien robot.

I had to laugh as I made my way into the rec room, thinking about her and the other recruits. She was a sweet girl. I would have to introduce her to Bluestreak sometime, I think he would like her. I grinned as I saw him setting up the movie. "Well, hello Blue." I grinned at him as I took a seat on the couch.

He glanced around from the large screen and smiled at me. "Oh, hello Molly. I'm just setting up the movie. I commed the twins like you asked and I think they said they were coming, so-"

"Yeah, they are." I nodded. "I met a human soldier today."

A small frown creased Blue's face. "Aren't there a lot of human soldiers around the base?"

"Well, yes. But there aren't a lot of female soldiers, for some reason. Her name was Laurie." I smiled happily as I sat Buddha style on the couch.

"Oh." Bluestreak nodded, clearly confused as to why I was telling him this.

"She reminded me a lot of you." I said casually as the DVD menu came of screen. "I think you'd like her."

Bluestreak blinked uncertainly at me. "Really?"

I nodded and smiled as the twins, followed closely by Solstice, entered the room. "Hey! Is the movie starting yet?"

Bluestreak nodded quickly and pressed play on the movie, before hurrying over and sitting next to me on the couch. "Is she new? I don't think I've ever heard of her before." He said quietly.

I nodded as the twins came over. Sunstreaker took a seat beside me and Solstice sat next to him, with Sideswipe on her other side. "Yeah, new recruit." I said quietly to Blue as the title of the movie came onto the screen.

Blue stayed thoughtfully quiet, which was strange for him. As the first musical number of the movie ended, he leaned over to me. "How did she remind you of me?"

I smiled and shrugged. "She just did." I whispered back. "I think you two could be good friends."

Bluestreak looked like he was blushing for a moment. "I'm sure she has lots of friends."

I shrugged again. "You should get to know her and find out."

A little while later, when the musical number about how the Corpse Bride had died was in full swing, the small group of new recruits, led by Will, entered the room. "This is the recreation room." He announced. "It's for humans and Autobots alike, where you can enjoy your free time or whatever."

"_Die, die, we all pass away. But don't wear a frown, 'cause its really okay! You might to try and hide and you might try and pray, but we all end up the remains of the day!"_

Will hesitated slightly, before turning to stare at us. "What in the name of God are you watching?"

"The Corpse Bride." I smiled sheepishly. "Remember?"

"-_and then baby, everything went black. Now when she opened her eyes, she was as dead as dust! Her jewels were missing and her heart was bust! So she made a vow lying under that tree, to wait for her true love to come set her free. Always waiting for someone to ask for her hand, when out of the blue comes this groovy young man, who vowed forever to be by her side! And that's the story of our Corpse Bride!"_

Will sighed and turned back to the group of recruits. "Okay, so some of them are a bit weird, but other then that they're great allies and fantastic fun."

One guy frowned slightly and leaned forwards to ask "Do they have names?"

"Of course they have names, dumbass." Will frowned at him. "From right to left, it's Sideswipe, Solstice, Sunstreaker, Molly and Bluestreak."

"Weird names." The recruit muttered. "Except the Molly one."

I glanced over at the recruits, but I was the only one who did so. The others had their optics glued to the TV screen. "Hey."

The man who had been talking blinked at me in recognition. "You're the one who walked through the main hangar."

"Yep." I nodded, before noticing a familiar brunette at the edge of the group. "Hey, Laurie."

Bluestreak glanced around at the sound of her name, and his optics fell on the little human as she stepped forwards shyly and waved. "Hi, Molly."

"Come here." I waved her over. "Do you wanna watch the movie with us?"

Laurie looked at Will uncertainly, but he just rolled his eyes. "Even if I say no, she'll just drag you over. Go on." He waved at the rest of the group and led them out to continue their tour.

Laurie's face broke into a smile and she ran over to the huge couch. She eyed the height of it uncertainly, as if she just realised she wouldn't be able to climb up it without assistance.

Thankfully, Bluestreak decided to be a gentlemech and he reached his hand down for Laurie to climb into. She did so gratefully and smiled at him when he placed her shyly in my palm. "This is Bluestreak." I said quietly to her.

Laurie blushed and waved. "Hi, Bluestreak." She said shyly.

Bluestreak smiled. "Hi." He greeted in return.

I couldn't help but grin at their shyness as I turned back to the movie just as the main character reached out his hand to girl he loved and yelled "Victoria!" As he was pulled away from her by Emily, the corpse bride.

A moment later, I glanced back to see that Laurie was on Blue's shoulder and was telling him all about Taylor Swift on whispers. I grinned so widely that I probably looked like the Cheshire Cat, but I didn't care.

Solstice sighed slightly as another musical number started up. "Why are there so many songs?"

"I like the songs." I shrugged as I watched the Black Widow spider and the maggot try to console Emily by telling her that she was better than Victoria.

"_What does that little wispy brat have that you don't have double?"_

_"She can't hold a candle to the beauty of your smile!"_

_"How about a pulse?"_

_"Overrated by a mile!"_

_"If inly he could see how special you could be! If he only knew the you that we know_!"

Solstice sighed again. "I didn't say I didn't like them. There's just too many of them."

I frowned and opened my mouth to reply, but Sunstreaker nudged me and shook his head. "Just leave it, Molly Dolly."

I frowned. I hadn't meant to start anything. A sudden gasp brought my attention to Laurie, who was now staring at me from Bluestreak's shoulder. "Are they the twins?" She asked in a loud whisper.

Both twins turned to look at her curiously, and she blushed at their sudden stare and turned her attention back to the movie.

"_If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain. If you cut me with a knife it's still the same. And I know her heart is beating, and I know that I am dead. But the pain here that I feel, try and tell me it's not real. And it seems that I still have a tear to shed."_

"Yes." I whispered to her. "That's them."

She raised an eyebrow. "Hmm." She smiled, glancing back to the TV. "Emily reminds me of you." She said abruptly.

Sunstreaker frowned. "How? Molly is nothing like her. That character is a dead human."

I winced. "Don't!" I blurted.

Everyone turned to look at me. "Molly..?" Sunstreaker said cautiously.

I took an intake of air and shook my helm. "Sorry, I just.. Never mind."

"And I know that I am dead, but it seems that I still have some tears to shed."

Watching the movie had become almost painful now. Laurie edged closer to me, careful not to fall off Bluestreak's shoulder. "I just meant she reminded me of you because-"

"I know what you meant, it's alright." I assured her quietly.

"Why did you react like that when Sunstreaker said 'dead human'?" Solstice asked nosily.

I took another intake of air. "I'm an Autobot. I don't like thinking about dead humans." I lied quickly.

It was clear no one believed me, but they thankfully let the subject drop. I allowed myself to relax once the attention was off me, and I ignored Sunny, who kept watching me out of the corner of his optic.

I managed to sit through the rest of the movie, and couldn't help but sigh quietly in relief when it was over. I wondered vaguely of that was really what happened when people died, if they really went to such a happy, colourful place instead of turning into aliens.

"I'm going to bed." I announced, standing up as the end credits rolled up on screen.

"Good night!" Laurie smiled at me.

I smiled back and waved as I left the room. I was so caught up in my thoughts, I barely noticed I was being followed until I was at my door.

"Molly."

I glanced up to see both twins standing behind me with their arms crossed, identical frowns on their faceplates.

I smiled sheepishly. "Hi. I'm just... Um... Going to bed..?"

"What was that about?" Sideswipe asked, ignoring what I had just said and leaning against the wall by the door.

"What was what about?" I asked, avoiding their optics.

"You sorta freaked out when I said 'dead human'." Sunny frowned.

"Did I?" I mumbled, staring fixedly at my pedes. "Sorry."

Sideswipe reached out and took my chin, pulling it up so I had to look at him. "Molly. You can tell us what's wrong, you know."

"No I can't." I blurted out, shaking my head.

"So you admit there's something bothering you." Damn. Sideswipe got me there.

"I never said that."

"Molly, c'mere." Sideswipe pulled me into a hug. "Whatever's bothering you, tell us and we'll kill it."

I smiled slightly and hugged him back. I hadn't gotten a hug from either of them since Solstice arrived. "I don't think it's that simple, Siders."

"Why not?"

I smiled and stepped back. "It just isn't."

Sunstreaker scowled. "Is it Mirage? Tell us if it is. We WILL hurt him."

Suddenly, Sideswipe looked outraged. "Did he touch you?" Both the twins suddenly growled dangerously.

"What? No! No, of course he didn't!" I shook my helm. "Jeez, calm down. It's my dads job to get like this about boys."

Sunstreaker frowned. "Well Ratchet isn't here right now."

"Actually, he's been listening from behind the door this entire time." I ran a hand over my faceplates.

The door slid open to reveal Ratchet, looking mildly embarrassed to be caught. "Oh. You're back."

I rolled my optics and ignored the twins' sounds of outrage and protest.

"You were eavesdropping?!"

Ratchet scowled furiously. "No. I was simply making sure my daughter was alright, and that you weren't doing anything... Questionable.. To her."

Sideswipe choked. "What?"

"Oh, come on, Hatchet! Even if we were doing something 'questionable' with her, we wouldn't be stupid enough to do it outside in the hall!" Sunstreaker protested.

Energon heated my face furiously and I put my face in my hands to cover the blush. "Sunny, shut up."

Ratchet looked like he was seconds away from launching himself at both the twins and beating the slag at them. "Leave." He snarled dangerously.

"But we just got here!" Sideswipe grinned manically.

"LEAVE!"

"Fine!" Sideswipe laughed. "Sol is waiting for us anyway."

Ratchet narrowed his optics as the twins hugged me again and patted my helm before heading back down the hallway. "Would you like to tell me what they were talking about?" He asked as soon as they were out of sight.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"It's not going to work on me. I'm you're parental unit." He scowled and folded his arm across his chassis. I walked in past him and sat on the berth. After closing the door, he turned to face me. "Well?"

"Dad... Please don't."

"Molly. You have to talk to me." He insisted.

"Dad, I'd really rather not."

"Molly-"

"Please." I whispered, covering my face with my hands. "Please stop."

Ratchet fell silent. I heard him come over and sit next to me. He draped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. "Molly..."

A sob broke free of my vocaliser and I buried my face in his shoulder joint. "I'm sorry."

"Stop. Molly." He tried to lift my face away, but I refused to move.

"Daddy.."

"Look at me." He insisted. I took an intake of air and raised my head. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I should be dead." I whispered.

"Molly! Don't say that!" Ratchet admonished.

"It's true, dad. I-I-"

"Calm down." He insisted, drawing me closer and rubbing my back struts comfortingly. "Take deep intakes, and tell me slowly."

I sobbed again and covered my mouth with my hands. "I'm not actually Cybertronian-"

"You're being ridiculous. I think you're hysterical."

"No, I'm not!"

"Molly, you're starting to worry me." Ratchet frowned, running a scan up my body.

"Dad." I took a deep intake of air. "I used to be human."

Ratchet's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

"Um.. Don't worry, Optimus knows." I tried to assure him.

"Optimus KNOWS? And he didn't TELL ME?!"

Oh. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say.


	19. Chapter 19

"OPTIMUS PRIME!" Ratchet roared as he stomped through the halls of the base, with me in tow. At this stage, he was more dragging me along the ground than leading me.

As my dad roared out for Optimus, almost every Autobot came to the door of their quarters in order to stare in shock at Ratchet.

"Ratchet?"

"What's wrong?"

"Slag, Molly. What did you do this time?"

"It's too late for Ratchet glitching. I'm trying to recharge!"

"Have you gone mad?"

"What happened?"

Ratchet ignored all the questions as he passed the Autobots and carried on down the hall.

I saw the twins gaping at us in total shock, and waved at them weakly. Their optics narrowed as they took in my energon-stained face from where I had been crying. They too began asking questions as we passed, but their voices were drowned out by everyone else's. Solstice appeared at their shoulders a moment later and pulled them away, shaking her head. Both shot her an irritated look, but allowed her to pull them away.

"Ratchet?" The surprised voice of Optimus made me turn my head to see him standing outside his office and staring in shock at my dad as he marched up to him.

"We need to talk! NOW!" Ratchet pointed furiously into the office.

Optimus blinked, before nodding and gesturing for us to enter his office. It was clear from Prime's shocked face that Ratchet had never spoken to him in such a manner. The doors slid closed, blocking out all the curious faces that were trying to peer in. "Why don't you take a seat and tell me what this is about?"

"WHAT THE FRAG DO YOU MEAN TELL YOU WHAT THIS IS ABOUT?! YOU KNOW! YOU'VE KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME!" Ratchet exploded.

I winced slightly. Chances are, you could probably hear Ratchet's roars from the other side of the base. "Dad, please-"

"Ratchet. I must ask you to calm yourself. Please take a seat." Optimus insisted, pointing to the two chairs in front of his desk.

Ratchet and I obliged, though Ratchet still looked as though he was about to blow a gasket. "I expect a full explanation, Optimus."

"And you will get one, old friend." The Prime ran a hand over his face plates tiredly. "Molly, would you like to begin?"

I glanced up from where I had been staring into my lap, surprised that Optimus wanted me to start. I took a deep breath and began, avoiding Ratchet's penetrating stare. "I was born human. My name was Molly Cosgrove, and I lived and grew up on this planet. M-my biological parents died when I was young, and I lived with my aunt and uncle until I turned eighteen. I- I got married pretty young, to a man named Paul. I... thought I loved him."

Ratchet's hands were clenched around the arms of the chair he was sitting on, and even the usual sounds of quiet whirring from his inner mechanisms had gone quiet, but he still managed to ask "You didn't really love him?"

"No. No, I guess I didn't."

"Then why did you marry him? I was under the impression marriage was sacred for humankind, and only partaken in when both parties are in love." Ratchet sounded both pained and curious as he asked.

I didn't remove my gaze from my knees. "It is. I guess.. I'm not sure. I think I thought I loved him at first, but it became pretty apparent I didn't. In fact, the only thing that kept me from leaving was-" I broke off suddenly, my hand ghosting over my abdomen.

"Molly? What's-?" Ratchet began, but was cut off by Optimus.

"We do not need to proceed any further, if you do not feel comfortable with the subject." He said in his comforting baritone.

I nodded, then shook my head. "No, I want to. I-I need to." I raised my head to see both mechs looking at me in mild concern. "I didn't leave because I was pregnant, and-"

There was a loud cracking sound as Ratchet's death grip on the arms of the chair finally became too much: both arms broke clean off as the pressure upon them became too great. "Pregnant? The human equivalent of being sparked? Meaning you were carrying a child?"

I nodded nervously. "Yeah." My hands still ghosted subconsciously over my stomach area.

Ratchet stared at me for a long tense moment. "Alright." He choked out at last. "Continue."

I took another intake of air and nodded. "Well, Paul used to drink a lot, but when I was pregnant he seemed to just drink a lot more. He used to come home completely drunk and-"

"Did he ever strike you?" Ratchet interrupted, sounding outraged.

"Sometimes." I admitted. "But my best friend Beth used to keep me company. He didn't hit me much, just when he got really angry or frustrated..."

Ratchet's optics had gone unnaturally bright as he turned to Optimus. "I want to find this man."

Optimus frowned sternly at him. "No, Ratchet. You know we do not harm humans."

"HE HURT MY DAUGHTER!" Ratchet roared angrily. I couldn't help but feel a flutter of pure relief over the fact that he still considered me his daughter, even after the big announcement that I wasn't even properly part of his race.

"I am aware, Ratchet. Even so, the man believes Molly to be dead. Now please," Optimus turned to me, "Finish."

I nodded slightly. "Um... I was eight months pregnant when Beth decided we should go for a walk in the park."

Ratchet nodded approvingly. "Yes. Exercise in moderation would be good for the heart and lungs, and would improve the chance of a healthy baby."

I stared fixedly at a scratch on Optimus' desk. "Right. Except... When we were there, a Decepticon attacked. I don't know why, or what it was looking for, but it... It killed me."

This statement was met with total silence, until Ratchet reached out and took my hand in his much larger one. He squeezed very gently. "Go on."

I dampened my lip component with my glossa and nodded. "Yes. Um... I woke up and I was with this Cybertronian. He said he was a Prime, and that I was to be given a second chance at life, because my life and my... My baby's life wasn't supposed to end there. So, I got sent into a Cybertronian baby's body, and ended up in the woods near the base where Sideswipe and Sunstreaker found me. And... And that's it."

I lifted my head to meet Ratchet's optics. He was staring at me. "Molly... You- I want you to know that this doesn't change anything."

Energon tears flooded my optics all over again. "What do you mean? It does. I'm not- I mean, I can never be-"

Ratchet pulled me into a hug, ignoring the discomfort of the chair in the middle of us. "You will always be my daughter, I promise you. I raised you, didn't I? Well, I raised you the second time at least." I gave him a tearful smile and nodded.

Optimus smiled at the both of us, before turning to Ratchet and raising an optic ridge tiredly. "I hope you understand why I did not tell you, Ratchet. It was not my secret to tell."

Ratchet huffed slightly, before nodding. "I suppose I may have overreacted a little. Thank you, Optimus." He reached out and carefully wiped the energon tears from my face plates. "Please stop crying, sparkling."

I laughed very slightly. "How can you still call me sparkling after all this? I'm about twenty-nine."

"Even when you're twenty-nine thousand, you shall still be a sparkling to me." Ratchet said bluntly, patting my helm.

Optimus smiled again, looking slightly less tired. "It is late, and Molly needs her recharge."

Ratchet nodded. "Yes. That must have been emotionally exhausting for you."

I laid my head against his shoulder. "No, I'm just glad I got it all out. I don't have to keep it secret anymore."

Ratchet nodded, "I.. apologise again, Prime." He said as he led me gently to the door.

Optimus shook his head. "It is quite alright, Ratchet. Good night." He waved us out as the door closed behind us.

I took Ratchet's hand as we walked down the corridor, and he looked at me sideways. I knew why: I hadn't held his hand since I was a sparkling. We turned the corner and Ratchet growled in frustration upon seeing the twins and Bluestreak sitting outside the door to our quarters.

They leapt to their feet upon seeing us come around the corner. Sideswipe was the first to speak. "What the slag happened?"

"I don't have time for this. Leave." Ratchet growled irritably as he keyed in the code for the door. I stayed by his side and stared at the floor, not meeting anyone's gaze.

"We heard you screaming about someone hurting Molly." Sunstreaker frowned.

Ratchet hesitated. "Did I?"

"Paul." I reminded him quietly.

"Oh. Yes." Ratchet's face darkened.

"Paul? Who's Paul?" Sideswipe glanced back and forth between me and my dad.

Ratchet just growled and turned back to the door as it slid open. "Go back to berth, Sideswipe. I have no doubt that Solstice is wondering where you've gone."

I stared fixedly at Ratchet's back as I followed him into the room, but Sunstreaker caught my arm. "Molly. What's going on? We're your friends!"

"Sunny..." I whispered, shaking my head. "I don't think-"

"Sunstreaker, please take your hands off my daughter." Ratchet said icily through clenched denta. "I have had enough for one night without you lot adding to my problems. Molly needs to rest. Now leave."

Sunstreaker hesitated, but removed his hand from my arm. "Fine. But-"

"No 'buts'!" Ratchet turned around, holding a wrench.

"Slag!" All three of them scrambled away from him.

"Leave!"

"Alright! We're going!"

Bluestreak ran up to me suddenly and gave me a hug, surprising me. "I hope you feel better tomorrow."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Blue." I whispered as I hugged him back.

He nodded and stepped back, going over to rejoin the twins. Sideswipe went to take a step forwards, but Ratchet hefted his wrench a bit higher. Sideswipe scowled. "I was going to get a hug!"

"No."

"Blue got one!"

"Bluestreak hasn't annoyed me yet."

"Fine." Sideswipe scowled irritably before turning back to Sunstreaker and following them down the corridor.

"Come on." Ratchet muttered, pulling me gently into the room. "You should get some recharge."

I nodded as he pushed me to the berth, before crawling on it and curling up. I powered off my optics.

Ratchet sat next to me a few minutes later and laid his servo on my waist. "Molly..?"

I turned to face him, onlining my optics again. "Yeah?"

He looked as though he were wrestling with something, before finally saying "How come you didn't tell me sooner?"

I knew this question had been coming, but it didn't make it any easier to answer. "Because I- I just.. I just didn't want you to see me any different-"

He cut me off with a hug and an irritated huff. "Molly. I know I'm not good at this stuff, but you must realise that this will never make me love you any less."

I curled up into his chassis and allowed him to wrap his arms around me. "Do you think that would apply to everyone?"

"By everyone, you mean the twins." Ratchet murmured. "I don't understand what you see in those little terrors, but they've known you from you were a sparkling. You're part of their life now." I nodded into his chassis, ignoring the fact that he hadn't answered my question. "Don't feel pressured into telling them. Tell them when you feel the time is right."

"What am I going to tell them tomorrow? They're going to know something is wrong after that display." I sighed.

"You don't have to tell them anything." Ratchet insisted, keeping his arms wrapped around me.

I nodded. "Okay."

"Get some recharge, sweetspark. You need it."

I nodded and drifted off into recharge, drawing comfort from my dads arms around me.


	20. Chapter 20

**I'm so sorry I didn't upload last weekend, I had to go to the hospital :/ but I'm out now, so here we go! I live for your reviews, so please drop me one! Thank you :)**

"He is way better!"

"No, he's not!"

I grinned at Simon and Elliott as they argued over who would win in a fight: Spider-Man or Wolverine. They both made their points in between stuffing their mouths full of food as we sat at a table at the edge of the crowded canteen.

"Elliott, come on now. Wolverine has specifically engineered adamantium claws and a healing factor! How the hell could Spider-Man compete with that?" Simon demanded, shaking his head and causing his messy brown hair to flop straight into his eyes.

Elliott brushed the hair back off Simon's forehead as he answered. "Well, he managed to beat Venom, didn't he? And Venom was basically all his bad side put into one evil entity! So if he could beat that, he could definitely beat Wolverine!"

"Wolverine fought the Hulk!"

"He didn't _win_!"

I laughed at them. "Okay, calm down. Has anyone seen Annabelle?"

"I think she's at Art." Simon said, shovelling more food into his mouth. "She's taking one of those extra classes."

Elliott shook his head fondly at him. "How can you eat so much and still be hungry?"

Simon shrugged and grinned. "Dunno. It's just how I was built."

I smiled and picked up my bag, setting in on my lap. I began to burrow through it, looking for the bottle of energon I had packed, when I heard a 'thump' and glanced up to see Simon on the floor and wincing. "Simon? What happened?"

He got back onto his seat and glared at a boy who had just sat down a few tables away. "Nothing." He mumbled, turning back to his food.

I glanced at Elliott for an explanation, but he just scowled at the boy then turned back to the table. "Did I miss something important?"

"No, Molly." Simon muttered. "You didn't miss anything."

I blinked at him. "Okay." I said uncertainly, returning hesitantly to my search of my schoolbag. I found the energon at the very bottom and took it out. It was in a black plastic bottle so that no one could see the glowing liquid inside, and I half drained it in less than thirty seconds. I noticed the silence between Elliott and Simon, and I raised an eyebrow at them. "Guys. Seriously, what's up?"

Simon just shook his head, but didn't get a chance to answer as the same boy who they had been glaring at before took a seat next to them and grinned. "Hello, gay boys."

Simon clenched his jaw and stared straight ahead, whereas Elliott flushed and looked down at his hands.

The boy was tall, somewhere around six foot, and was good looking in an average kind of way, with short brown hair and blue eyes. He glanced across the table and looked me over, before raising an eyebrow at me. "And you're the girl with the creepy eyes. Huh. They do kind of glow." He smirked.

I recognised him suddenly. His name was Jack Barnes, and he was some kind of linebacker on the football team. I had never seen him talking to Elliott or Simon before, but it looked as though they were quite familiar with each other.

"So, faggots." He grinned at them. "What plans have you tonight?"

"Don't call them that." I frowned at him.

Simon shook his head. "Molly, don't-"

"Yeah Molly. Don't." Jack smirked. "I was just asking a question."

"No, you were being rude." I said firmly.

"No, I wasn't. I called them faggots. They are faggots. What's rude about that?" Jack smirked. "They're the ones who chose to be gay."

I stared at him. "Oh my god. Are you seriously that narrow-minded? You are. I can tell by your head."

Jack's retort died on his tongue as his hands reached up to his head. "What's wrong with my head?"

"It's a bit small."

Jack glared and stood up suddenly, leaning across the table to me. "Listen to me, you bitch." He growled angrily, trying (and failing) to sound threatening. "How about you stay out of this? It would be a shame if your pretty little face somehow got in the way of my fist."

I stood up instantly and glared back in his face. "Are you threatening me?" I bit back at him. "You can't be serious. It's your turn to listen to me now. I have dealt with far worse bullies than you, and maybe I should let you know that my dads in the army. In case your small head can't work out what that means, it means that I have a lot of big, scary men out there who wouldn't have a problem with kicking your ass all the way to Timbuktu. That is, if there's anything left of your ass to kick once I'm done kicking it. Got it? Or do you want me to simplify it a bit more? Here it is: if you don't back off, I will kick your ass. And then my friends will chop you into itty bitty pieces. Okay? Good." I sat back down at the table and took another drink of energon from my bottle. That was a rant that my dad would have been proud of.

Jack just blinked at me, before backing away and back down to where his friends were sitting a few tables away. Once he was far enough to be deemed safe, he called "Don't think that this is over! I have friends too!"

"Not many!" I yelled back, giving him the middle finger. I ignored the fact that almost everyone in the cafeteria had turned to stare at our exchange. I only noticed that Simon and Elliott were gaping at me as if I had turned into my bipedal form right in front of them. "What?"

"Molly, that was beautiful." Elliott beamed.

Simon shook his head. "I think you just painted a big red target on your back."

I smiled. "Don't worry about it, Simon. I wasn't exaggerating." I thought that over for a second. "Maybe I exaggerated about the cutting into itty bitty pieces part."

"What about kicking his ass to Timbuktu?" Elliott grinned.

I returned his grin and shook my head. "Actually, I wasn't exaggerating about that. I'm pretty sure if we kicked up hard enough, and at the exact right angle..." I laughed. I was picturing Ironhide drop-kicking him. I'm pretty sure that he would land in Timbuktu. Or maybe somewhere in Korea.

Simon shook his head again. "I've dealt with that guy before. He's... persistent."

I shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Si. It'll be fine. C'mon, we'd better get to class." I stood up from the table and raised an eyebrow at them.

Both boys nodded and stood, and we walked to class together.

After school, I was walking out the front door of the school and into the parking lot on my own. Simon and Elliott were going on a date, and had asked if I had wanted to come, but I had politely declined.

"Hey!"

I struggled to stop myself rolling my eyes (and failed) as Jack and three of his friends jogged up behind me. "Yes?"

Jack smirked and towered over me. "Where're you're little gay buddies?"

I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "Why? Do you miss them already?"

"Still acting tough, huh?" He sneered.

"_I'm_ not the one cornering a lone girl in an empty parking lot to bully her." I pointed out.

"Are you calling me weak?" He demanded, pushing his chest out and trying to make himself look taller.

I clenched my jaw. It was around now that I really hated the rule that said I couldn't hurt humans. "Just back off, okay?"

"No. No, that's not okay." He grabbed my arm.

"Ow! Let go!" I yanked my arm back and scowled at him. "Seriously, piss off."

"Maybe I don't want to."

I turned around, fully prepared to punch him very hard across the face, but someone beat me to it.

I stepped back and watched in surprise as a good looking man with tanned skin and black hair hit Jack hard, sending him sprawling on the floor. The newcomer glared at Jack. "Get out of here. Now."

Jack scrambled backwards on his hands, before getting to his feet and taking off with his friends on his heels.

The man turned to face me, and I was startled to see his glowing blue eyes. "You okay, princess?"

"_Mirage_?" I demanded in shock.

Mirage's holoform nodded. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" He took my arm cautiously, as if he were afraid I would break.

"No, I'm fine. Um... Thank you." I said awkwardly.

Mirage grinned. "Well, I couldn't have him damaging my pretty little femme, could I? Optimus may have some words with me, though..."

"I'll tell him you were just helping me." I smiled sheepishly.

He shot me a grin and nodded. "Okay. I'm here to take you home."

I nodded. "Right. We should probably go-"

"Actually," Mirage smiled winningly, "I was hoping you would show me around the area." I stared at him, and he added "As a reward for hitting that rude human boy for you."

I thought for a moment, before coming to the conclusion that he had a point, and I had no where else to be. "Okay."

"Please, I'll be- wait. You will?" He looked surprised.

"Yes. Unless you don't want to-"

"No! No, I do! Thank you." He beamed and led me to his alt mode: a flashy red Ferrari. He opened the door like a gentleman to let me in before getting in the other side.

I sat back comfortably as we drove away from the school and towards the main road leading to the town. "So where exactly do you want to go?"

Mirage shrugged and shot me another smile. "As long as I'm with you I don't mind, my dear."

I grinned slightly and turned to look out the window. "Wow. Thanks. We could go to the park, I guess.."

Mirage nodded and took a left towards the park. "What do humans do in these 'parks'?"

"Just walk around, usually." I shrugged.

"Sounds... Mundane." He said as he parked the car and stepped out.

I stepped out before he got the chance to walk around and open my door. "Yeah, it is a bit. But I know that Bluestreak and Prowl like it-"

"I didn't say I didn't like it." Mirage said quickly. "No, of course not."

"Right." I bit back a grin as we walked through the gates of the park. It was a great day, and the sun beat down heavily on everyone in the park. Kids were flying kites across the grass and a few couples were walking around and holding hands.

Mirage eyed some of the couples curiously, before taking my hand in his and raising an eyebrow questioningly. I hesitated, before awkwardly allowing him to hold my hand as we walked. He grinned like an idiot, "Strange human customs, but I like them."

I laughed. "Yeah, I bet you do."

"What are those?" He asked suddenly.

"Ducks."

"Interesting. Why are those humans throwing things at them?"

"It's bread. They're feeding them."

"Hmmm..." He glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes, lightly swinging our arms. "Thank you for this."

I glanced at him. His holoform was a bit taller than mine, so I had to tilt my head slightly to see his face. "For what?"

"For coming with me here. You didn't have to."

"It was because you asked so nicely."

He smiled and looked at our joined hands. "Well, I appreciate your company. I apologise if I came on a little strong when we first met."

I snorted. "A little."

He laughed too, then shrugged. "I apologise." He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye again. "You look very beautiful today."

I looked away. The last thing I needed was him to see me blush. "Thank you."

He nodded, his eyes never straying from my face. We reached a bench, and he gestured to it. "Would you like to sit for a while?"

"What, are you getting sleepy?" I teased.

His eyes narrowed playfully. "I could go another lap."

"Really? Say, to that tree and back?"

He looked to the tall oak I was pointing at, and his grin grew even further. "Ready?"

"Go!" I laughed and took off, sprinting towards the tree as fast as I could. Mirage came up behind me, so fast it didn't even look like he was trying.

He reached the tree first and turned around, smirking at me. "I won."

"No, you didn't." I said as I reached the tree after him.

"I reached the tree first." He frowned.

I nodded once, then turned and sprinted back to the bench, yelling "I said to the tree and BACK!" Over my shoulder.

He growled and took off after me, but I had already reached the bench and was turning around, grinning jubilantly. "Cheater."

I laughed. "No! You just didn't listen properly to the instructions."

"Perhaps." He grinned and took my hand again, pulling me down next to him on the bench. "Are you having fun?" I nodded without thinking, and he smiled happily. "Good. I told you it wouldn't be that awful if you went out with me once."

I didn't grace that statement with an answer, choosing instead to draw my knees up to my chest and gaze at the ducks in the pond.

"Are you cold?" He asked suddenly, looking concerned.

My lips curved up in a smile and I shook my head. "This is a holoform."

"Oh. Yes." He grinned sheepishly. "I forgot."

I shrugged. It was sweet of him to be concerned. A moment later, Mirage's holoform sighed irritably. "I'm wanted back on the base, and Ratchet is looking for you."

I raised my head and looked to him. "What, now?"

He nodded and stood, before holding a hand out to me. "Yes. Let's go, Mollzers."

I took his hand and let him pull me up. "Okay." I said, noting that he didn't let go of my hand as we walked back towards where he had parked. In fact, he only let go of my hand when I had climbed into the passenger seat and his holoform dissipated into sparks.

Mirage started up his engine and pulled away from the parking space, heading towards the main road. "There's been something I've been meaning to ask you."

I glanced at the radio and raised an eyebrow. "What? Not energon again-"

"No, no. I was wondering what happened the other night. When Ratchet glitched and started roaring at Prime."

I glanced out his window and pursed my lips. "Oh. He.. Um.. That- My dad was annoyed."

"Yes, I gathered that much." Mirage said wryly.

I tapped my fingers awkwardly against my knees. "Right. Well, it was just because... Optimus.. took Ratchet's energon. And Ratchet was annoyed."

There was total silence least a full minute. "_Really_." Mirage said at last, his voice full of scepticism.

"Yes." I nodded as Mirage turned into the familiar alleyway and commed Wheeljack. The groundbridge opened mere seconds later and Mirage drove straight into it.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Mirage assured me as we arrived in Wheeljack's lab. Wheeljack barely glanced up from whatever project he was tinkering with as Mirage drove past and out into the corridor.

"Thank you." I leaned back into his seat and relaxed as he drove towards the med bay. We passed quite a few soldiers who gazed at Mirage's alt form wistfully, until we finally reached the med bay doors.

Ratchet was in the corner, fiddling through data pads, and he turned around when he heard Mirage's engine roar and the door open for me to get out.

I deactivated my holoform, growing to my natural height. "Hi, dad," I smiled and hugged him.

He put his arms around me and smiled grouchily in return. "Sweetspark." He glared at Mirage. "What took you so long? You didn't try anything, did you?"

Mirage transformed swiftly and held his arms up in surrender. "I didn't touch a circuit on her processor unit."

Ratchet scowled mistrustfully, but nodded once and turned back to his datapads. Mirage winked roguishly at me. "I'd best be going. Optimus wants to talk to Jazz and I."

I nodded. "Alright. See you."

"Do I get a kiss goodbye?" He asked flirtatiously. Ratchet whirled around, looking furious, and Mirage stepped back. "Alright, maybe later. Goodbye!"

I held back a laugh as he practically sprinted out of the room. "You seem grouchy today." I commented, tapping Ratchet's helm lightly.

He just growled in frustration and shook his head. "I'm just tired, sweetspark. First, Sunstreaker came in with his undercarriage practically hanging off, then Bluestreak came in because he had glued his hand to a human-"

"Whoa!" I interrupted, startled. "He glued his hand to a human?"

Ratchet rubbed a hand over his face. "Yes. Lauren Anne, I believe her name was."

"You mean Laurie? Oh, god. How did that even happen?"

"I don't know! It was an act of pure, unadulterated idiocy. And to make it worse, both of them talked the entire time I was trying to unstick them! The entire time!"

I had to bite back my laugh. "Oh. That must have been awful."

Ratchet just nodded, "And on top of all that, tomorrow is when check-up's start."

I winced slightly. "Oh, dear." Check-up's usually occurred every couple of months, and normally consisted of chasing down and dragging each individual patient to the med bay. The only 'bots that came without fuss were Optimus and Prowl. The rest seemed to enjoy being involved in an elaborate cat and mouse game with Ratchet.

"I'm afraid you'll have to help me."

My head whipped around so fast it felt like I'd knocked a few screws loose. "What?!"

"I'm not going to be able to chase patients AND perform a check-up!" Ratchet scolded. "You chase half of them and I'll examine half of them, then vice versa."

"Okay." I said reluctantly. There was no point arguing with him. "I'm going to go to the rec room."

"Make sure you have your energon." He called absently after me as I walked to the door.

"I will." I called back as I left the med bay and headed down the corridors.

The rec room was pretty busy, as it was around the time everybody was off-duty. Ironhide and Chromia were talking on the other side of the room, Prowl was reading over datapads in the corner, Bluestreak was chattering away to Laurie, who was sitting on his hand and the twins and Solstice were sitting together on a couch. Several other 'bots were scattered round the room, talking or getting their energon.

I walked over to the energon dispenser and grabbed a cube, before leaning against a wall and draining it. I put it back on the table just as I saw Laurie waving at me and smiling. Walking over to where her and Bluestreak were, I gave her a smile in return. "Hey, Laurie."

"Hi! How was school? I still think it's still really weird that an alien robot goes to school." Laurie laughed.

"It was fine. And yeah, it's weird. I only go because my dad and Major Lennox though it would be best." I shrugged and smiled.

"Did you do anything new in class? Or did anything exiting happen? How are your friends?" Bluestreak asked conversationally.

"Simon and Elliott are fine. I didn't really see Annabelle, because she was taking extra classes. And... Nothing particularly exciting happened." I shrugged again.

"You were late home." Laurie frowned curiously. "Was everything okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Fine. Mirage collected me, and he just wanted to go to the park."

Bluestreak gaped at me. "And... You said yes? Since when do you ever say yes to Mirage? You always say no to Mirage!"

I sighed. "He.. did me a favour. Sort of."

"What did he do?"

"He hit someone. No, that's not important." I waved my hand as Laurie opened her mouth to ask another question.

Laurie frowned, then shrugged. "All right. Guess what? I showed Blue some Taylor Swift songs, and he liked them! He's the first guy I've ever known who's liked Taylor Swift!"

Bluestreak's cheeks darkened in an energon blush, and I grinned at him. "Well. I'll just leave you two to talk about Taylor Swift-ly matters, then." I backed away from them, beaming at Bluestreak's blush.

I turned around, and was startled to find Mirage's faceplates inches away from mine. "Whoa! Mirage? How long have you been standing behind me?"

He smirked and held out an energon cube to me. "I got you energon."

"Oh. Thanks." I said, taking the cube and smiling uncertainly at him.

"Would you like to sit down?" He gestured to one of the free couches like a gentleman.

"Oh, um.. Sure." I said hesitantly, following him over to the couch. He sat first and smiled up at me before patting the seat next to him. I sat next to him and took a drink of the energon to cover up my awkwardness. "So.. What did Optimus want?"

Mirage looked pleased that I asked. "Well, I am one of the best spies in the Autobot ranks, as you know." He gave me a pointed look.

"Oh, of course." I nodded quickly.

Mirage beamed. "Yes, well. He wants to employ me to find the Decepticon's warship and observe."

"Observe what?"

"Suspicious behaviour." Mirage shrugged.

"But they're Decepticons." I frowned. "Isn't it a character trait for them to act suspiciously?"

Mirage laughed and casually slung an arm over the back of the couch, not quite around my shoulders, but almost. "I suppose it is. But more than their behaviour. I am to to hack their network if 8 get the chance, and download any and all battle plans and strategies. It'll be difficult because of Soundwave, but I'm just that good that I will be able to handle it."

I laughed out loud. "Wow. You're very confident there."

Mirage smirked. "I have no reason not to be. Why? Do you not think I'll be able to do it?"

"Well, from what I've heard about Soundwave, he's pretty dangerous." I smiled.

"Is that a challenge?" His smirk widened and his arm dropped lower to rest on my shoulders properly.

I grinned. "Yes. It is."

"Challenge accepted." Mirage returned my grin. "Just you wait."

"Oooh, now I'm scared." I laughed.

Mirage's optic narrowed. "You should be. Do I have to tickle you? Will you be afraid then?"

My smile dropped and my face became deathly serious. "Don't even-"

I was cut off mid-sentence when Mirage abruptly lunged at me. I shrieked as he began to wiggle his fingers into the ticklish seams in my sides. I flung myself to the side to try and get away from Mirage, and ended up landing on the floor. Mirage fell after me, laughing and reaching out to tickle me more.

I screamed and laughed, struggling to get away, but he straddled my waist and held me down. "Are you scared now?" He grinned as he tickled me.

"N-n-.. Mi-Mirage! S-stop!" I wheezed with laughter.

"Are you scared now?" He repeated, grinning wider.

I shrieked with laughter as he dug his fingers further into the sensitive plating of my torso. "N-no!" I wriggled madly, desperately trying to throw him off me.

Mirage laughed and leaned down next to my audio receptor. "Just admit you're scared."

I shook my head, shaking with the effort of trying to repress my laughter.

"Admit it!" He insisted.

It all became too much. "_I'M SCARED_!" I roared, thrashing madly. "FRAGGING _TERRIFIED_! STOP!"

Mirage smirked hugely and bent his head towards my face again. "Well, since you asked so nicely." He murmured. He kissed my lips softly, making my optics go wide with shock.

He kissed me. While on top of me on the floor. In front of the entire rec room. Including the twins.

"Don't tell Ratchet." He whispered teasingly, before getting up off me and heading out of the room.

I blinked my optics several times, trying to shake myself out of the shock. I sat up cautiously and stared at the door. It took a minute or two before I realised that everybody was staring at me.

The twins were gaping open mouthed, and Solstice's hands were on their chests from where she had clearly held them back from pulling Mirage off of me.

Laurie and Bluestreak had both fallen completely and totally silent, and were both staring wide-eyed at me from the table. Prowl looked as though he were about to glitch.

Finally, Ironhide, of all mechs, decided to be a gentleman and help me up from the ground. And by 'help me up', I mean he grabbed my waist and pulled me up into the air before dropping me and hoping I landed on my feet. "Well, that was quite a show." He grumbled, wiping dust off my back.

My cheeks flushed with energon and I shook my head. "Damn. Did that really happen?"

Ironhide snorted. "Yes." He answered shortly, before turning to the couch again.

I winced slightly and turned around again. Laurie had stood up on Bluestreak's shoulder and had her hands on her hips. "What was _that_?" She asked, clearly surprised.

"Yeah!" Sideswipe said suddenly. "What the _frag_ was _that_?!"

"Um.. Mirage was tickling me." I answered weakly.

Sunstreaker growled. "Yes. We saw that much. He _kissed_ you." He said it as if it were something unmentionable.

I nodded thoughtfully. "Oh, yes. I noticed that too."

"Since when are you two,-" Laurie made a couple of bizarre hand gestures. I stared at her blankly, and she sighed irritably. "You _know_. Since when are you and Mirage _together_?"

I held back a flinch as Sunstreaker attempted to leap to his feet, but was held down by Solstice. Damn, that femme must be strong. "We're not!"

"So he kissed you without _permission_?!" Sideswipe yelled, struggling to get out of Solstice's grip.

I groaned and put my head in my hands. Did Mirage seriously just leave me here to face this on my own? _Afthole_.

"Will you please _calm_ _down_?" Solstice encouraged, rubbing both of the twins' backs. "Molly is a grown-up femme now. You have to give her more space."

I felt like screaming at her. I didn't want the twins to give me more space. That's not what I wanted at all.

"Molly." Laurie said suddenly. I glanced around to look at her again, and she gestured to me. "Can we have a grown-up femme talk, please?"

I nodded wordlessly and held out my hand. She climbed into it and nestled into my palm. I had to hold back a smile as Bluestreak checked to see if she was safe. I walked outside the door to the rec room and stood in the hallway before glancing down to her.

She stood up unsteadily in my hand and stared up to me. "Okay. So... Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why Mirage? Why the rec room? Why not somewhere more... _private_?"

My cheeks darkened further with an energon blush, and I shook my head quickly. "No! No, I didn't want anywhere more private! I didn't know he was going to do that!"

Laurie nodded slightly. "Alright. And.. you're okay?"

"I'm fine." I knew immediately that I had answered too quickly as Laurie's dark eyebrows practically disappeared into her hair.

"Really? You looked pretty pissed when that blue and green chick said something about the twins staying away from you. Sorry, I can't remember her name. It's probably something weird though."

"Solstice." I vented a sigh. "Did I look pissed?"

Laurie nodded. "Yep. Pissed. Definitely. I saw it. You looked annoyed. I'm surprised Saltmore didn't run for it."

I snorted slightly. "Solstice."

"Right. Saltmore sounds better. Anyway, I'm guessing Mirage is like.. a substitute? Or something?"

"No." I shook my head swiftly. "He's not meant to be anything. I don't even understand how that happened. I shouldn't have talked to him. Now he thinks I like him."

Laurie tilted her head and shrugged. "Maybe you should go out with him."

"Wh- _no_!"

"Molly, just listen!" She insisted, standing up straighter. "You need to try out other men! Or mechs, or whatever. Maybe you just have a crush on the twins. How would you know if you haven't ever had a boyfriend?"

Paul.

I winced and glanced away. "Right." I said hollowly. She was wrong, of course. I had had several boyfriends. I had been _married_, for Primus' sake! What I had for the twin's wasn't just a passing crush. I had known that for a while.

"So... Maybe you should give Mirage a chance." Laurie suggested tentatively.

I ran a hand over my faceplates - a habit that I had picked up from Ratchet. "Maybe." I said at last.

Laurie beamed and nodded. "Okay. Should we go back in..?"

I nodded and turned on my heel, heading back into the rec room. The quiet conversation that had started once we left the room stopped almost immediately. I ignored the stares and headed for Bluestreak again. He smiled and held out his hands for Laurie, whom I placed carefully into his waiting palms.

"Well?" Sideswipe said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Laurie frowned disapprovingly at him. "That was a grown-up femme talk. Are _you_ a grown-up femme?"

Sideswipe hesitated "If I say yes will you tell me what you were talking about?"

My mouth plates tilted up slightly in a small smile. Sideswipe grinned, clearly pleased that he could still make me smile.

Laurie opened her mouth, but closed it again as heavy footfalls were heard coming down the hall. Everyone turned their heads to stare at Ratchet as he entered the room and glanced around at everyone. He spotted me and immediately made his way over, transforming his hand into a scanner as he went. "I forgot to scan you earlier."

"Aw, _no_.. Dad, c'mon!" I shook my head, backing away.

"Molly." He said warningly, grabbing my arm to keep me still. He had been scanning me at least five times a day ever since I had told him about me being previously human. "I have to."

"No you don't! If nothing has happened to me since I was.. 'Born', then what's the chance of something happening now?" I argued, trying to escape the scanner. I seriously hated that thing.

Ratchet growled in frustration. "I'm being cautious! I don't know what effects it could have on you!"

"Effects of what?" Sunstreaker asked, looking startled.

"Dad," I pleaded. "C'mon. You've been scanning me since I was a sparkling and you never found anything abnormal, have you?"

"I didn't know what to look for then!"

"Do you know what to look for _now_?!"

"That's not the point!"

"Dad! Yes it is! When something bad happens, I'll tell you!"

"I don't want to wait until it happens! What if I can't fix it! This sort of thing has never happened before! Not even Optimus has heard of anything even remotely similar to this!"

By this stage, every 'bot and human in the room was hanging onto our every word, after realising that this was clearly what Ratchet had been yelling at Prime about.

"Well, that doesn't mean it's never happened! I mean, how could you tell? Am I any different to any other femme you've ever seen?"

Ratchet huffed irritably. "I believe that because you're my daughter, I'm obliged to say that you're _special in every way_."

I rolled my optics at his sarcasm. "Well, I'm only special in one way. But that hasn't changed me in any way that's important."

Ratchet narrowed his eyes. "I just want to check."

I clenched my jaw and we glared at each other for a long time.

After about five minutes of glaring and not much else, Sunstreaker swore angrily and stood, slapping Solstice's restraining hand away from him. "For frag sake." He grabbed me and held me still, ignoring my mad thrashing and struggling to get away from him. "Scan her quickly."

"Wh- _Sunstreaker_!"

Ratchet looked surprised for a moment, before nodding and taking advantage of me being held in place to scan me. _Thoroughly_.

I yelped as the tingling sensation of the scan turned painful in my stomach area.

"Why is it hurting her?" Sunstreaker yelled at Ratchet.

"I'm trying to scan _all_ of her. It's a very thorough scan because it goes into the deep metal parts of her protoform. It should only be painful for another few minutes." Ratchet yelled back at him. I could see the pain in his optics, and it occurred to me that he could feel what I feel through our sparkbond.

I struggled to close it off and hide the pain so that he wouldn't feel it. I whimpered and stopped thrashing in Sunstreaker's grasp, instead going limp and hoping it would be over soon.

Sunstreaker glanced up at Ratchet as he turned the scanner off. "Well. Now I see why she didn't want to be scanned."

"Ow." I curled up as best as I could, but Sunstreaker was still holding my arms tight. He loosened his grip, but didn't actually let go.

Ratchet stepped forwards quickly and looked me over. "You'll be fine in a minute or two." He muttered gruffly, turning away to look at the results of the scans. I could have been offended, but I could feel the guilt of hurting me radiating through our bond. Ratchet finally lifted his head and glanced at Sunstreaker. "Will you please take her to our quarters?"

Sunstreaker nodded, for once not arguing with my dad. He picked me up bridal style, ignoring my protests that I could walk on my own, and strode swiftly out of the room.

"What was that about?" He asked once we were out of earshot of the rec room.

I blinked, wincing slightly as my stomach moved painfully. My stomach felt as though the metal was bruised. "Hmm? You mean when you held me down as Ratchet scanned me?"

"No. I mean what you and Ratchet were arguing about before I held you _for_ _your own good."_ Sunstreaker corrected me.

I sighed tiredly and rolled my head around to rest on his chassis. "Nothing important."

"Molly. Don't." Sunstreaker said irritably.

"Wait! Sunny." Sideswipe called out from behind us. I glanced around to see him run up to Sunstreaker and stop at his shoulder, looking down at me curiously. "Is she okay?"

"I'm fine." I muttered, but both twins ignored me.

"I don't know. Ratchet's scan was one of those invasive ones, like the ones he used to do on 'bots to find viruses or the like." Sunstreaker answered.

Sideswipe winced. "Slag. Those are painful. Especially if there are no viruses."

Sunstreaker nodded as we reached my quarters. "Molly, what's the code?"

I tried to stand on my own, but Sunstreaker refused to put me down. Instead, I had to reach out and type in the code whilst in his arms.

The door slid open, and the twins slipped inside. Sideswipe glanced around the place curiously as Sunstreaker placed me on the berth. I curled up and laid my head on my knees as he sat next to me on the berth. "Molly..?"

"Mhmm?" I answered tiredly.

"What was with you and Mirage earlier?"

Everything seemed to go still. Sideswipe glanced over with wide optics from where he was standing. He quietly made his way over to the berth and sat down on my other side.

"What do you mean?"

"Molly." Sunstreaker said frustratedly. "Don't do this again. Are we not your friends?"

I clenched my jaw. "Are you?"

I regretted saying it almost instantly, as the twins' expressions turned hurt. "What?"

"Nothing." I mumbled, trying to hide my face in the berth.

Sideswipe gently pulled my face out of the berth and frowned at me. "What did you mean by that?"

I twiddled my thumbs awkwardly. "I just meant... it's not like we see each other any more."

There was silence for a moment as the twins stared at me, then at each other. "We see each other everyday." Sideswipe said slowly.

"Right. Never mind." I said quickly.

"No," Sunstreaker pulled me up so I was sitting up in between them. "Tell us."

"It's just... I see you everyday, but we don't spend time together anymore." I said, staring at my lap.

"Well..." Sideswipe glanced at Sunstreaker helplessly, "You can still hang out with us and Sol if you want. We didn't realise you wanted to."

"No, that's not-" I shook my head. "No, never mind."

Sunstreaker frowned. "Molly, c'mon. Tell us. Is this about Solstice?"

I opened my mouth, then shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"Anything. Say anything as long as it's true."

"I... Just miss how it used to be." I said sadly, shrugging again.

The twins shared another look, then Sideswipe began to awkwardly rub my shoulder. "Oh. Um... You know you can always hang out with us."

I forced a smile. "I wouldn't want to ruin your date."

Sideswipe pursed his lips. "You're pissed."

"Wouldn't you be?"

"Mirage kissed you right in front of us!" Sideswipe scowled.

I stared at him. "What has that got to do with you not spending time with me anymore?"

He scowled again and turned to stare at the floor. Sunstreaker rubbed his forehead tiredly. "You're.. We've known you since you were a sparkling."

"And?" I crossed my arms defensively. Sideswipe took notice of this and pulled my arms away, holding them so I couldn't look defensive anymore.

"Well... It was hard for us not to jump and and rip him apart. It's hard not to be protective." Sunstreaker shrugged. "I just.. he should know better. You're not old enough."

I stared at him. "Not... _Old enough_?"

Sunstreaker nodded. "You're only young. How are you supposed to make decisions?"

"I've made a _lot_ of decisions!"

"You haven't made any important ones." Sunstreaker said.

"Important..? Yes I have!" I argued furiously.

"Molly..." Sideswipe groaned, lying back on the berth. "Look... Mirage is a great guy and all, but... we just don't think you should go out with him or anything."

"Why not?" I asked quietly.

The twins shared yet another glance. "You deserve better." Sunstreaker said at last.

"Better than Mirage?"

"Yeah. Shouldn't be hard." Sunstreaker shrugged.

"But.. Who?"

The twins were quiet for a moment, before Sideswipe shrugged. "Well, we can't tell you that. Only you can decide that."

"Hmmm." I said quietly. "What if I've already decided?"

Sideswipe sat up abruptly to stare at me, and Sunstreaker's optics glowed brighter. "Who?"

I smiled and turned on my side, burrowing my head sleepily into the berth. "Well, if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

Sunstreaker growled frustratedly. "For Pit's sake, just tell us."

I shook my head tiredly. "Nope. How about this: I'll go out with Mirage and you two can just deal with it because you've barely spoken to me in two weeks, and maybe someday you'll find out who I decided on."

There was total silence for a long moment. "I don't like that idea." Sunstreaker said at last.

"She is pissed. That's just sadistic." Sideswipe shook his head. "Cruelty. Although..."

"Maybe we could..."

"Apologise?"

I smiled slightly as I listened to the twins finishing each other sentences. "Cute. But I don't think it'll make a difference."

Sideswipe sighed and lay back down next to me. "Y'know, if we weren't besties, I might be offended by the fact that you won't tell us."

Sunstreaker slung his arms around my waist like he used to do before Solstice came. "I think I would too." He said as I rested my head on Sideswipe's chassis and offlined my optics.

We stayed that way until Ratchet came back and roared at them to '_get the frag away from my daughter, you two pit-spawned fragballs'._

_**i** **hope you all liked it! Please remember to review** **and leave your opinion :D**_


	21. Chapter 21

"NOOOO!"

"JAZZ! Come _ON_! Please!"

"Molly, please! Don' do this to me! I have a life! I have friends! Don' _do_ this!"

"Grow a pair! Come on! I WILL drag you if I have to."

It had been like this all day. Mechs having extreme reactions when I told them to come with me for their check-up. Jazz, however, was minutes away from being strangled.

"Molly! Be merciful! Please! Oh, Primus, I'm on'y young!" He go to his knees and grabbed my legs.

"Jazz! I'm serious! Let go, and we'll go to the med bay! It's not going to take that long!" I pushed him gently off me.

Jazz, being a drama queen, fell back on the floor and lay there. "I am _not_ gettin' up."

I growled in frustration and bent over him grabbing his arms. "Stop being a diva! Just get UP!" I pulled at his arms.

Jazz turned over and yelled "RAPE! _RAPE_! HELP!"

"Jazz!" I hissed furiously at him as several soldiers looked around to stare at us. "Shut up!"

"Bluestreak's human! Are you just going to _stand_ there as she rapes me?!" He yelled at Laurie.

Laurie blinked and stepped back, looking startled. "Um.. I don't think Molly would rape anybody. Well.." Suddenly a small grin spread across her face, "she _might_ if a certain two mechs don't cop on that-"

"Laurie!" I yelped, "okay, I'm taking Jazz to the med bay." I hauled him to his feet and dragged him across the floor to the hall.

Jazz, surprisingly, seemed to be allowing me to pull him. The minute we were out of the soldiers range of sight and hearing, he turned to me and raised an optic ridge. "Would yo' rape the twins if they kept on ignorin' yo'?"

I turned him, looking scandalised. "Jazz! Of _course_ not!"

"Damn. That'd be hot." He laughed as he ducked my fist. "Hey, hey, just kidding."

I glared at him as we reached the med bay. "I wouldn't- that's not even-"

"Princess, don't even worry about it." He grinned leisurely.

I sighed as I walked into the med bay. "Jazz is here."

My dad glanced up from the data pad he was looking over and shook his head. "No, he's not. You turned your back on him. He's long gone."

I whirled around and almost screamed in frustration at Jazz's absence. "Are you _SERIOUS_?! Come _ON_!" I was starting to understand why my dear old dad was so fond of wrenches.

Ratchet set down his data pad and crossed his arms. "I believe it might be good to switch roles now. You do the check-ups, and I'll catch the vict- um, patients."

"Okay." I said resignedly, sitting down on a chair to rest a moment

"We'll switch again in a while. There's one thing you have to make sure is checked thoroughly on the mechs only: the tailpipe."

I began nodding, before realising what he had said and staring at him in horror. "Wait, what? Their tailpipes?! As in-" I motioned to my aft.

Ratchet rolled his optics. "Yes. You need to insert this-" he pulled out a long rod that had no business being up anybody's tailpipe. "Into their-"

"Dad! Why? What does that even do?!"

"It reads how functional it is."

I began to splutter. "How functional does it have to be?! All it does is _literally_ blow smoke out their asses!"

"Sometimes it gets clogged, and you have to-"

"_Nyaaaah_!" I covered my audio receptors. "But I'm a girl!"

"You're a medic-in-training." Ratchet said irritably. "For Primus' sake, act like it."

I closed my optics and took a calming breath. "Fine." I growled.

Ratchet nodded and handed me the rod, ignoring my scrunched up face. "Good girl. I will send the patients your way."

"Hey! Is this going to be like alien ass probing or something?" I yelled after him as he exited the med bay.

I didn't get a reply.

"Fine." I muttered, setting the rod on the table and turning away in order to set up the rest of the tools for the check-up.

After a few minutes of waiting, Mirage appeared at the door. "Good afternoon, Molly." He smiled at me as he came into the room.

"Oh, hey." I glanced up at him, then froze. "Aw, Mirage, can't you go to Ratchet for a check-up?"

Mirage frowned, looking half-hurt and half-confused. "I wanted you."

I muttered something about alien ass probing that he didn't hear, then gestured at a medical berth. "Sit."

He did so and I closed the door to the med bay so that other people would know there was a patient inside. I tried to ignore his gaze on me as I grabbed a data pad with all his information from past check-ups. He watched me as I came to stand next to the berth he was sitting on. "You look very beautiful today."

"You seem to be in excellent health." I told him, ignoring his comment. "Any injuries, anywhere hurt?"

Mirage smiled and shook his head. "I run perfectly." He murmured.

"I hope so." I held back a laugh. "Lie down, please."

He arched an optic ridge and did as I said, watching me as I grabbed a scanner and turned it on. I scanned him quickly, and turned away to view the results. All clear.

"I apologise if I made you I comfortable when I said you looked beautiful." Mirage said suddenly. "But I meant it."

I blinked owlishly. "Oh. Well, thank you." He smiled and nodded, and I held up the data pad. "You're clear in the scans. I'm just gonna test your reflexes."

Mirage sat up and grinned at me. "They're very good, I can assure you of that."

I rolled my optics and held back a smile. "I'm sure they are. I'm just checking." I knelt down in front of him and tapped his knee with a human hammer. It swung out, as expected. "Follow my finger with your optics." I instructed him, moving my finger back and forth in front of his face.

He did as I asked. "You're check-ups are far more enjoyable than Ratchet's." he told me as I tapped in his results on his data pad. "But that is probably because you're here."

I laughed and set the data pad down. "Thanks."

He stood up a bit suddenly, standing very close to me. I blinked, slightly surprised, but I didn't move. He put his hand up to my face, but didn't actually touch me. "How come you won't believe me when I say you're beautiful?"

I stared at him. "You lived in Cybertron. You must have seen _thousands_ of femmes. I just think you're overreacting. I appreciate the compliment, though."

Mirage shook his head, his hand cupping my chin. "Think on that. Thousands of femmes, and yet I still say you're beautiful. That means that I truly think you're beautiful."

"Oh. Well, um.. Thanks." I said, beginning to get distracted as he came closer and closer to my face.

"You're welcome." He whispered, his lips just about touching mine. Then he pressed them properly on my lips, and kissed me.

It was the strangest feeling, metal lips rubbing off each other, but not unpleasant. The metal was just about malleable enough to bend, but not soft enough to give way.

Without thinking, my arms came up and wrapped around his neck. My optics closed and I leaned into him. I could feel Mirage smiling against me, and ignored it. His hands came down to rest on my waist, wrapping around me but still managing to stay respectful.

"When I- say you're beautiful- I- mean it." he mumbled in between his kisses.

I pulled back from him slightly and stared up at him. "Really?"

He smiled and bent his head down, leaning his forehead against mine. "Of course. Why? Are you really going to tell me that no one has ever told you you're beautiful?"

"Jazz used to call me pretty lady when I was a sparkling." I suggested.

Mirage chuckled and stroked my cheek plates. "I don't think that counts, my dear." His optic ridges dipped into a frown. "I would have thought the twins might have told you."

I shook my head slightly, still keeping our foreheads in contact. "Well, maybe when I was a sparkling."

"I don't mean when you were a sparkling." He said softly.

"Well, then no." I shrugged.

He kissed my nasal ridge lightly. "In that case, I promise that I will tell you at least once a day."

My mouth components tilted up in a smile. "That's sweet."

He reached down and took my hand, intertwining our fingers. "Yes, and it will be true, which makes it even better."

I grinned at him, but pulled back suddenly when I heard footsteps coming down the hall. "Ratchet."

Mirage jumped back on the berth and crossed his legs, appearing casual. I grabbed at the data pad and began swiftly looking through it.

The door slid open and Ratchet strode in, glaring. He pointed at Mirage firmly. "I will do your tailpipe check later, not my daughter. I don't trust you around her."

Mirage looked startled. "Tailpi-? Okay, then."

Ratchet nodded. "I'll send the next _patients_ in." He growled, leaving again.

There were loud '_clangs_' from outside as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were shoved in, yelling none too politely at my dad. Ratchet just snarled at them before disappearing back down the hall in search of more vict- patients.

Mirage rolled his optics at them and slid off the berth. "I'll be going then."

The twins straightened up and glared at him, and Mirage scowled back. If they had been human, I'm fairly certain I would have been able to smell the testosterone in the air.

Mirage just gave them a haughty look and moved over to me. I stared at him with wide optics as he kissed me again, very gently. He broke the kiss and moved his lips over to my audio receptor. "Stay beautiful." He whispered, before moving back and walking out of the med bay.

I stared after him, before I realised that the twins were giving me the most furious looks I had ever received. "What?"

Sunstreaker looked as though he were about to blow a gasket. "What do you mean '_what_'?!"

"He just- you let him-! Molly!" Sideswipe yelled.

"Sit on the berth." I told them, picking up the data pad with the twins' information. They just stood there, looking mutinous. I raised my head and looked at them. "I said sit."

Sideswipe scowled and shook his head. "Not until you explain _that_. And what did he say to you that made you smile like such an idiot?"

I struggled to stop the energon rushing to my face. Did I really start smiling like an idiot? "First of all, did we not agree that I could date Mirage if I wanted to?"

"No. You decided that." Sunstreaker scowled.

I ignored him and continued on. "You came here for a check-up, not to interrogate me about Mirage."

"We can do both!" Sideswipe argued.

My hands came down to rest on my hips in my angry pose.

"Slag, hands on hips, _hands on hips._" Sideswipe began shoving his twin over to the medical berth, and they both sat down.

I sighed and picked up the scanner, scanning them both swiftly. "Have you been feeling sore anywhere? Any injuries or anything?"

The twins shared a look and hesitated. "Uhh.. No."

I raised an optic ridge. "I'll find it eventually."

Sunstreaker frowned at Sideswipe, who sighed and scratched his helm. "We... Uh.. Have been having trouble overloading." He admitted.

My hands stilled on the data pad. "Oh my _god_. I did _not_ need to know that."

"You asked!" Sideswipe protested.

I held back a groan. I did ask. Damn. "Fine. Uhh.. Having trouble how..?"

"Uh.. We haven't been able to." Sideswipe shrugged.

I was really struggling to hold back my laughter. "Okay, okay. _Both_ of you?" Sunstreaker scowled as he nodded. I bit my lip to keep the laughter from flooding out of my vocal processors. "Right. And, uhh... Does Solstice know this?"

"Of course she knows! She's the one that keeps _trying_!" Sideswipe covered his faceplates.

I pursed my lips at that. That was something I really didn't need to know. Ever. Just the thought of it was... _Ugh. _It made me feel a bizarre mixture of anger and sadness_._ "Have you tried thinking of something else?"

"What do you mean?" Sunstreaker asked, still scowling.

"I'm not trying to suggest anything here, but don't think of Solstice while you're.. _You know_. Think of something else." I shrugged. This subject was making me extremely uncomfortable.

Sunstreaker frowned. "Like?"

I gave him a look. "I don't know. Something that... Gets your engine running or something."

Sideswipe pulled a face. "Usually I love talking about interfacing, but this is getting uncomfortable."

"Getting?" I muttered, looking over my scans. I felt stuck between laughing or crying.

"Are you sure it's not like.. A loose wire, or something?" Sunstreaker insisted.

I shook my head. "Scans are all clear."

Sunstreaker groaned. "Great."

I shrugged, just about managing to contain my grin. I caught sight of the tailpipe rod on the table, and my grin slipped slightly. Great. "Um.. Sideswipe, lie on your stomach."

Sideswipe blinked at me. "What? Why?"

"Just.. Just do." I pleaded.

He frowned, but did as I asked. I picked up the rod and walked over to him.

Sunstreaker's optics widened when he took in the rod, and he shook his head desperately. "_No, no! Please_!" He mouthed silently at so as not to alert Sideswipe.

"_I can't do anything about it! I have to_!" I mouthed back.

Sunstreaker put his head in his hands. "Sideswipe, remove your aft armour." He told his twin.

Sideswipe gaped at him. "What?"

"Just do it."

"Well, _that_ was traumatic." I said, practically throwing the tailpipe rod back on the table.

"For you or for us?" Sunstreaker growled, rubbing his aft.

"That was sore." Sideswipe scowled.

"Sorry." I grinned.

"I know how you can make it up to us." Sideswipe shrugged happily.

"How?" I raised an optic ridge.

"By telling us what Mirage said when he left." Sunstreaker answered.

"Guys-"

"We just want to know what he said!"

I clenched my jaw and glared at them both. "He told me I was beautiful."

Sideswipe blinked. "But... Why were you smiling so much?"

"Because I don't exactly get told that a lot." I said, inputting the new information into their data pad.

Sunstreaker frowned. "Of course you do."

I raised my head to stare at him. "No, I don't. Who would say that other than Mirage?"

"Just because they don't say it, it doesn't mean they don't think it." Sunstreaker scowled.

"It was just nice to hear, alright?" I sighed and returned to the data pad.

I didn't see the twins exchange a look, but suddenly Sideswipe was next to me and giving me a hug. "You are beautiful." He said happily.

"You have been since you were a sparkling." Sunstreaker crossed his arms, clearly unused to giving compliments.

And, I was suddenly very much out of my depth. "Um.. Thanks."

Sideswipe nodded and stood up straighter. "We'd better get back to Solstice and tell her we're all healthy."

"Yeah, sure." I muttered, focusing on my data pad.

The twins waved as they left, and the minute they were gone I practically collapsed on my chair. "Ugh..." I put my head in my hands.

"Molly?" I glanced up as Ratchet walked in, pulling Jazz along by the audio horns. "Able for one more check-up?"

"For my dear friend Jazz?" I grinned evilly. "Most certainly."

**I'd just like to thank everyone who asked about me being in the hospital :) I was just getting an echo and an ECG, and I have to go back soon for an MRI :/ fun stuff. But anyway, thank you! And thank you so much for all your reviews! Just want to say to one Guest reviewer; I'm really glad you like the story, and no, she doesn't have an alt mode yet :)**

**please keep up the reviews! I love them to bits :D**


	22. Chapter 22

*CLANG*

"Owww..." I groaned, lifting my head up from the ground where Ironhide had thrown me.

"C'mon kid. Get up."

"Give me a minute." I groaned, turning over onto my side.

Ironhide huffed in annoyance. "What, you wanna take a rest? You think a Decepticon is gonna politely stand to the side and wait while you take a breather? That's not going to happen, kid."

I scowled at him. "How do you know? Have you ever asked?"

"Of course I haven't _asked_!"

"Well then how do you know that they wouldn't let you take a rest?" I asked, laying unmoving on the ground.

Ironhide pinched his nasal ridge in frustration. "_One_ minute. That's all you get."

I sighed in relief and turned over, curling up on my side. "Thank you!"

He just huffed again and crossed his arms while he waited. The old warrior kept insisting that I learn how to protect myself. I suspected that he was wary of Mirage, especially after the whole tickling episode, and I found it sort of sweet how he was so concerned. The sweetness wore off, however, once he started throwing me around the room.

"Oh, there you- what happened?" Mirage's startled voice came from the door of the training hall.

I turned my head to face him without lifting it off the ground. "Oh, hey."

Mirage turned to Ironhide and frowned sternly. "Please don't dent her."

Ironhide snorted. "As if. She's a tough one." Every single plate on my body protested at that statement. "She doesn't even have paint to chip."

I glanced down at my body and frowned. "Do I need paint?"

"It would certainly look good." Mirage smiled. "But you don't need paint to look good. You're beautiful the way you are."

I smiled gratefully at him as Ironhide pretended to gag. "Primus, if you're going to flirt, then I'm leaving."

Mirage gave him a look, before turning back to me. "I came to say goodbye. I'm leaving on my mission now."

I sat up quickly. "The Decepticon mission?"

Mirage nodded. "Don't worry. It's just a bit of recon. Nothing overly dramatic. I promise to bring you back a souvenir."

I smiled slightly and got to my feet. "You'll only be gone for two days, right?"

Mirage smirked. "Will you miss me?"

Behind him, Ironhide was pretending to throw up. "Of course. Who's going to pick me up from school?"

Mirage raised an eyebrow. "I highly doubt that that's what you were thinking of."

"Ugh, just say goodbye and be done with it!" Ironhide bellowed impatiently.

Mirage scowled at him. "I'm trying to make it romantic."

This time, both myself and Ironhide actually choked for real. "Fail." I snickered.

"It was not a fail!" Mirage protested. "It was a bit romantic!"

"Not really." Ironhide sniggered and shook his head.

Mirage huffed indignantly. "Very well. I'll be in my way now."

"Are you sulking?" I grinned.

"Most certainly not." He replied primly. His face softened slightly and he kissed me on the cheek. "I'll be thinking of you."

And with that, he walked out. I blinked in surprise after him. "I was't expecting that."

"Neither was I." Ironhide admitted, staring at the door as it slid close behind he retreating figure of Mirage. "Oh, well. C'mon. Sparring position."

He ignored my loud groan and resumed training.

"Molly!"

I debated for a moment if whether I ignored her, she would go away or not. I figured she probably wouldn't, so I sighed and turned to face her as she jogged up the corridor behind me. "Yes?"

Solstice smiled sweetly as she reached me. "I was wondering if we could talk."

"We're talking right now." I pointed out.

Solstice giggled. "Oh, you're so funny!" She ignored my raised optic ridge and continued. "Anyway, it was something I wished to talk to you about femme to femme."

I raised an optic ridge curiously. "Okay?"

Solstice glanced around conspiratorially, as if paranoid the whole base was listening in from around the corner. "Well, there were two things. Number one, I wanted to know what your relationship with the twins was."

I blinked at her. "Oh. Um.. Relationship? It's.. Why didn't you just ask them?"

Solstice giggled again and shook her head. "It's not exactly the kind of thing you ask a mech! A femme is much better at analysing relationships."

"Oh. Okay. Well... We're friends."

"_Just_ friends?" Solstice persisted.

"Yes. They're with you." I pointed out irritably.

"And... If I weren't here, Primus forbid! What then?" Solstice raised an optic ridge.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Why?"

"Well, that's the second thing." Solstice smiled sweetly. "I was thinking of asking them to be my sparkmates! What do you think?"

I stared at her, frozen. "What?" I asked at last.

"Sparkmates. It's when a couple love each other very much and want to spend the rest of their lives together, so they join sparks and-"

"No, no, I know what it _is_." I shook my head, trying to clear it from the shock. "I- I just.. Why are you telling _me_ this?"

"Well, I asked Bluestreak, Jazz and Optimus for their opinions, but they told me to ask you."

"Did they?" I asked quietly. _Traitors_..

Solstice nodded, "Yep. I was thinking of asking sometime around the human holiday of Christmas."

My optics widened in alarm. "But that's only a month away!"

Solstice giggled again. "Yes, but we've known each other for millennia."

"Right." I said dazedly.

"So, what do you think? I mean, you should have no aversion to it if your relationship is _platonic_, right?" She raised an optic ridge calculatingly.

I just stared blankly at her. "Ummm..."

"Unless," her sweet smile turned into a full blown sharks grin, "you have a little crush."

My optics widened again "What?"

Her grin widened. "Oh, how _cute_! You do!"

"N-no-"

"You _do_! Oh. _Adorable_. You mustn't like me very much then." She beamed. "Well, that's all very well, but I think I will ask them."

"But spark bonding is _forever_." I managed to say.

Solstice shrugged and smiled. "We're in love. We have been since we first met in Iacon all those centuries ago." I didn't answer, and eventually her smile became even sweeter. "Oh, dear. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Don't worry. I'm sure Mirage can cheer you up, if you ask nicely. Primus knows, you need to loosen up. Maybe a quick interface is just what you need. Just so you can get the hang of it." She beamed insincerely and trotted off down the corridor.

I stood on my own in the corridor, practically frozen in shock. That was completely unexpected. Eventually, I managed to move from my place in the hall and walk to the communications room. Prowl was sitting, hunched over a monitor. His optics were flicking back and forth on the screen as he absorbed all the information at a ridiculously fast pace.

I sat down on a chair next to him and kept quiet, knowing that he hated to be disturbed.

Eventually, he lifted his head from the monitor and looked right at me. "Molly. Are you well?"

I nodded. "Oh. Umm.. Fine."

His optics narrowed. "This is about the twins and Solstice."

I glanced up at him, surprised. "How did you-?"

Prowl gave a very wry smile. "I'm good at reading people. I suppose she told you about her wanting to sparkbond with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker."

"She said something along those lines, yeah." I muttered, glancing down at my servos.

Prowl nodded, running his hands down the sides of his face. "Yes. It was inevitable, I suppose. All femmes go through that stage at some point in their lives."

"What stage?"

"The stage where they wish to settle down, and start a family. A lot of the time, settling down is enough, but sometimes femmes insist on having sparklings. That practice has become scarce now, because of the war. But even now, on Earth, we have more femmes than I have seen since the war started. We have Chromia, Arcee, Solstice and you." Prowl told me.

I gazed unseeingly at the monitor. "Oh. And... Do you think the twins will say yes?"

Prowls fingers stilled over the keyboard. "What?"

"Do you think the twins will say yes?" I asked, fiddling with my hands. "I mean, you can compute the direction of eight hundred moving items in 0.8 seconds, or something. Right?"

"This matter is slightly more complicated. The twins are unpredictable at best. I really can't tell what's going on in their processors. I'm sorry."

I just nodded. "No, that's fine. Um.."

"Something else is bothering you." Prowl eyed me carefully.

"Do you think I need to loosen up?" I blurted out suddenly.

Prowl blinked owlishly. "Loosen... Up? Am I really the right person you should be asking? Why would that even be bothering you in the slightest?"

"Someone told me I needed to loosen up." I murmured, swinging my legs back and forth.

"I see. Did they suggest any ways to do so?"

I energon-blushed. "Um.. They suggested interface."

Prowl nodded. "Yes. I believe that would help someone to 'loosen up'. I wouldn't suggest you try it though. Ratchet might kill the- him."

I raised an optic ridge at him. "Were you about to say '_them_'?"

"No." Prowl said quickly.

"Oh my god. You were thinking of the twins."

"No. No, I wasn't. Well... Would it bother you if I was?"

"Well- they're with Solstice."

Prowl frowned. "I see no logic in that statement."

I spun my chair around in circles, refusing to look him in the optics. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Prowl reached out and grabbed my chair to stop it from spinning, "That they are not officially 'with her' until they have sparkbonded. Which, as Solstice mentioned, will not be until the human holiday of Christmas. So you do have a chance with them, as Jazz would say."

"Please don't mention this to Jazz." I pleaded.

Prowl raised an eyebrow. "I don't have to. He has been standing in the doorway for approximately six minutes."

I slowly turned my head and sighed internally at the sight of Jazz leaning casually against the doorframe with his visor lit up excitedly. "Oh. Well, hello there."

"Why didn' yo' want to tell me?" He demanded, pushing himself off the doorframe and sauntering over to take a seat next to Prowl.

"Because you might do something stupid. Or embarrassing. But most likely both."

"Like what?"

I grinned slightly. "Well, I wouldn't want to give you any ideas."

Jazz smirked. "Yo' probably right. Hey, if yo' like the twins, that ain't mah business. But," he said, suddenly looking confused, "did I hear correctly that yo' are with 'Raj?"

I shifted slightly. "Um.. I guess so. A little bit, I suppose."

Prowl frowned. "I was not aware of this. It seems illogical if you are fond of the twins."

Before I could respond, Jazz grinned. "Unless yo're doin' it to make the twins jealous, in which case I _totally_ approve. Ya haven' done anything wi'h him yet, have yo'?"

"No!" I shook my head quickly.

Jazz nodded. "Good. Have to say, the thought of you 'facing someone is weird. Yo' like mah sister, ya know? So don't go 'facing with strangers." He said seriously.

"I... wasn't planning to."

"Good." Jazz nodded, clearly appeased.

Prowl vented. "I say this with all sympathy and compassion, but will you two please get out of here? I have to work."

Jazz grinned and sprung energetically to his feet. "Sure. I enjoyed our talk, Prowler."

Prowl frowned irritably at him. "We were talking to Molly."

"I know, but I never picture the two o' us givin' relationship advice, ya know?"

I laughed at Prowl's glare. "I'm going to go-"

"Oh, before ya do," Jazz turned to me, holding his hand out in a 'wait' gesture, "Come to the rec room at around nine PM, m'kay? Yo' gonna get yo' first taste o' high grade!"

Prowl raised an optic ridge. "I am assuming Ratchet doesn't know about this."

Jazz snorted. "Yeah. I told Ratchet tha' I was plannin' to get his sparkling over-energised as hell tonight. It went down real well. I also told Ironhide his cannons remind me of them little nozzles tha' ice-cream comes out of."

Prowl sighed and turned back to his monitors. "Decepticon signal." He announced abruptly, jumping to his feet.

I smiled slightly at Jazz. "See you later, then."

Jazz started to nod, before a sly grin grew across his face. I eyed him warily as he began bouncing on his feet. "Why dontcha come wi'h us?"

Prowl frowned. "Do you think that would be wise?"

"Medic." Jazz raised an optic ridge. "Ratchet could use a day off." Prowl looked as though he were about to protest, so Jazz quickly spoke over him. "I'll comm. him now." Everything went silent as Jazz opened the comm. link to Ratchet. A second later, he grinned. "There. I asked."

"And?" Prowl narrowed his optics.

"He's roarin' like a stuck turbofox at me." He said happily. "It's okay. We can be gone before he reaches us."

:•Molly. Don't you _dare_ leave for battle!•: my comm. link with Ratchet fizzled to life suddenly.

:•I wasn't going to _fight_,•: I reasoned, :•I was going to act as a stand-in medic in case someone got hurt.•:

:•I am the medic! I'm not going to _risk my daughters life_-•:

:•But think of who all is going to be there. All the Autobot warriors. They aren't going to let me get hurt. And if _they_ get hurt, I can help. Please, let me try?•:

There was a very long, drawn out silence during which Jazz watched me with a raised eyebrow, clearly having figured out that I was talking to my dad. :•Fine.•:

:•Really? Thank you!•: I grinned and turned to Jazz. "I can go!"

"Great! C'mon, li'l lady. We're headed to the main hangar." Jazz pulled me by my arm, leading me after Prowl.

Optimus, the twins, Solstice, Wheeljack, Bluestreak and Ironhide were arranged in the main hangar, and turned to look at Prowl as we walked in. "Prowl," Optimus said in greeting, "You commed about a Decepticon signal."

Prowl nodded. "In the place humans know as Iowa. Relatively deep in a forest, in what appears to be an extremely large clearing. I believe them to be scouting out an energon signal." He reported.

Optimus' optics narrowed and he nodded. "Interesting. We must intercept them before they find whatever it is they are looking for. Autobots, roll out!"

-/- * -/-

"-Still can't believe he let you come. I mean, he always seems to be so protective of you. I don't mean in a bad way, it's great that he's so protective of you. It means he loves you, right? I think that's nice. I'm kind of protective over my rifles, but I don't know if that would fall into the same category of Ratchet's protectiveness. No, no I don't think it would. That's okay. I'm sure I'll find something someday that I'll be super-protective of. Won't that be exciting?" Bluestreak was met with a whole load of noncommittal grunts.

We were edging around the trees, trying to gain an advantage with the element if surprise. The Decepticon's were some way ahead: I could see them if I zoomed in with my optics.

"He asked us to keep an optic on you." Sideswipe confessed.

"He asked me, too." Ironhide grunted.

"Yeah. He asked me too." Wheeljack admitted.

"I was involved, too." Prowl offered.

"I was asked also." Optimus looked mildly abashed.

Sideswipe looked offended for a moment. "What? He asked almost all of us? Does he not trust us to keep her safe?" He turned to his twin and frowned.

"He's just paranoid." I murmured as we closed in on the Decepticon's.

"Stay here." Ironhide grumbled, looking at me sternly before he and Optimus moved forwards.

I waited obediently at a tree and watched as the others edged after Optimus. I tactfully avoided looking at Solstice as she passed. The twins followed after her, craning their necks to try and see which Decepticon's were out there. Suddenly, Sunstreaker's handsome face split into a grin. "I see Starscream."

"I see Skywarp." Sideswipe grinned just as evilly. "This is going to be fun."

"Be careful." I pleaded.

Sideswipe snickered and patted my helm. "Aw. Worried?"

I ignored Solstice as she glanced back at me and smirked. "I've seen how slagged up you get after battles. I don't want to be the one to have to fix it."

"We'll try and keep ourselves in one piece, just for you." Sunstreaker smirked.

"Optimus is approaching Megatron." Wheeljack said abruptly.

The resounding yell told us that Megatron had seen him.

"Go!" Jazz practically sang as he bounced forwards into the clearing and onto the battlefield. The others followed him, and soon yells were echoing off the trees in every direction.

I edged forwards, trying to see what was happening. Clearly, the Deception's had been digging for something. The trees had been uprooted, which had caused the unnaturally large clearing, and there was a huge pit in the middle of it all.

"Molly!"

I glanced around at the sound of my name being called, and let out a strangled yelp as a plasma blast just barely missed me. I scrambled back, startled. "What-?"

I whirled around to try and see where the shot had come from, and froze completely when I saw the huge Decepticon barreling towards me. It was black and white, and had 'POLICE' written up his arms. His optics were glowing red with violence, and he looked very familiar.

I knew without doubt that this was the mech who had killed me.

I stood frozen for far too long, before finally coming to my senses and screaming as loud as I could. I turned and fled, praying someone would help.

From behind me, the 'con let out a bloodcurdling laugh, and I winced. It was too familiar.

"No, no, _no_." I ducked around trees, searching for absolutely anywhere to hide. I flung myself behind a particularly large and sturdy oak just as the mech behind me shot again, narrowly missing my shoulder. I kept running, until I thought I might have lost him.

"Little femme," his harsh voice called out suddenly for my left. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

A strangled sob almost made its way out of my vocaliser, but I cut it off quickly. I took a step away from the source of his voice, before breaking into a sprint and running as fast as I could back to the clearing, following the sounds of the battle.

I was almost there, only a few metres away from the break in the trees, when I felt his hands closing around my hips and yanking me back. The force pulled me off my feet, and I yelled desperately as I landed on my back on the ground. Every single self defence lesson with Ironhide had flown straight out of my processor, and I was now replaced with pure, mindless panic. "No, no, no, no, no. Don't kill me. Please, please, _please_. Not again. Not _again_." I didn't even realise that I was begging, I was hardly aware that I was struggling and kicking and doing everything to get away.

The Decepticon raised an optic ridge as he knelt on my stomach to keep me down. "You're an interesting one. What do you mean 'not again'? We haven't met. I would have remembered." He smirked.

"Not again, please don't." I chanted desperately, twisting as best as I could in his grasp.

He frowned. "What do you mean again? I can't kill you twice, stupid femme."

A sob finally tore loose from my vocaliser, and I shook my head. "I don't- please. I don't want to die again. It wasn't fun the first time."

He frowned deeper, clearly getting frustrated. "What do you mean?"

My whole body began to shake, and I kept twisting and turning. He held me down firmly on he ground and frowned at me. "Are you from Praxus? What's wrong with you, femme? Are you faulty?"

"LET GO!" I screamed, trying to kick him in the interface panel.

He hissed and slapped me, his optics glowing sharply. "Quiet! I said-"

The black and white mech was abruptly cut off as a golden blur tackled him off me. I sucked in an intake of air and rolled, struggling to get to my feet.

Sideswipe was next to me in an instant, helping me to stand straight. "Did Barricade touch you? Molly, are you alright?"

"No. Yeah." I gasped, holding onto his arms. "I'm sorry, I just panicked, and I ran, and he followed and I-I-"

"It's okay," Sideswipe said immediately, pulling me away from Sunstreaker and Barricade as they battled it out. "C'mon, it'll be okay."

I nodded and clutched at his hand as he pulled me along, unsure if I could stand. "I-I'm sorry, I-"

"Stop it." Sides shook his head, "don't worry. Everything is fine. Everything is okay." We reached the break in the trees and stumbled out into the clearing. The battle appeared to be dying down, as most of the Decepticon's seemed to have fled.

Ironhide was roaring after a Seeker as he transformed and took to the sky. "Come back you coward!" He turned and caught my optic. "Molly! What the slag did you not understand about staying where you are?!"

"Don't yell at her!" Sideswipe glared at him. "It wasn't her fault!"

"I never said it was her fault! How hard can it be to stay in one place?!"

Sideswipe opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly something collided with us from behind. A choked noise left my mouth as we hit the ground. Barricade had tackled us to the ground, and pulled back his fist to land a punch.

Just before the black fist collided with my face, Sunstreaker tackled him off of me again. I sat up and watched as Sunstreaker stabbed him in the stomach area with his blade. Barricade roared in pain and fell back, before turning tail and fleeing.

Sideswipe hissed and sat up, glaring after the Deception. "Damn fragger." He snarled, before glancing at me. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I hauled myself to my feet as Sunstreaker walked back over to us, sheathing his blades. "Thanks."

Sunny just nodded. "What did he do to you?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Nothing. You got him off me before he could do anything."

Sunstreaker frowned. "But you were saying 'not again' to him."

I stared at him. "Oh. I panicked."

Both the twins narrowed their optics at me, clearly disbelieving. "Okay." Sideswipe said at last, dropping the subject. "You're not hurt though, right?"

"I'm fine." I promised, glancing around. "Is everyone else alright?"

"Optimus." Ironhide said shortly, turning around to face the leader.

I nodded and made my way over to the Prime. He was still standing tall, staring with narrowed optics at the Decepticon's retreating backs. His chassis was slashed, and was leaking energon. "Stay still." I murmured, taking a welder and some spare metal from subspace. "It's not going to be tidy, but I can neaten it up when we get back to base."

Optimus just nodded. "Of course. Jazz, Prowl, retrieve the energon deposit from the pit."

I didn't glance up as I welded the wound shut and stopped the flow of energon. "Better?"

Optimus nodded his head. "Yes, thank you. Are you alright?" His voice dropped.

I glanced up at him. "I'm fine."

Optimus' brow dropped. "He was the one that offlined your human body."

My hand almost slipped when I remembered that he had seen my human memories. "Oh. Yeah. I.. I panicked, and I ran. I couldn't think, and I just..."

"It's a natural response. Do not worry." Optimus rumbled reassuringly. "I apologise for the stress put upon you."

I shook my head and finished up on the weld. "It wasn't your fault. I'm done." I stepped back from him.

He nodded his gratitude. "My thanks."

"It's okay." I said vaguely, glancing around at Solstice as she bounced up to the twins and began fussing over them. I turned my attention away quickly as she began to kiss Sideswipe's dents better, and walked quickly over to where Jazz and Prowl were pulling the large cubes of energon out of the pit. "Come here."

Both mechs turned and frowned. "Wha'?" Jazz frowned.

"I need you to comm. Ratchet."

Jazz looked startled. "Why can't you?"

"Because then he'll start yelling at me."

"But if I comm. him he'll yell at me!" Jazz protested.

"Jazz, be a mech! C'mon, please?"

Jazz glared, before giving in. His visor went dim as he opened the comm. link with my dad. A second later, he yelled and clutched his head. "Primus! Tell him to stop screamin'!"

:•Umm... Daddy?•:

:•MOLLY! Are you _alright_?! I TOLD YOU SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD HAPPEN! _BARRICADE_?! _HE_ WAS THE ONE THAT _KILLED_ YOU?! HE CHASED YOU AGAIN?!•:

I yelped at the loudness of his yells over the comm. link and fell back on my aft. :•Dad, calm down! I'm fine!•:

:• THAT'S NOT THE _POINT_! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED! WHAT WOULD I HAVE DONE THEN CONSIDERING I'M SO FAR AWAY?!•:

:•Stop yelling! He didn't hurt me! It just scared me! Of all the mechs I expected to see, he was NOT one of them!•: I was vaguely aware of saying this out loud, trying to yell over Ratchet's roars.

:•How did you get out of there? I swear to Primus, if he made so much as I dent on you, I'll-•:

:•The twins. He didn't. Honestly, the only thing he did was bring back bad memories.•: I winced slightly. Everyone was watching me, listening closely as I spoke out loud. I had forgotten that I was in front of people.

Optimus rested a hand on my shoulder and patted it reassuringly. "Do not think about it, little one."

I nodded and stood up. :•We're on our way back now.•:

I was me with silence for a moment, before Ratchet sighed back down the line. :•Alright.•:

-/- * -\-

After a very thorough check up from my dad, I was allowed out of the med bay. I made my way down the corridor, uncertain of exactly what to do.

"Hey, li'l lady! Comin' to the rec room?" Jazz called from behind me.

I glanced around at him as he caught up with me and grinned. "Oh. Umm.. Sure."

"Great! Let's go!" Jazz looked at me sympathetically "I think yo' could use a drink after today."

"Yeah, guess so." I agreed, smiling slightly as we walked into the rec room.

Everyone was milling about aimlessly, except for the twins, who both were sitting on large crates of high-grade energon and grinning evilly. Jazz approached them and reciprocated the grin. "I assume yo' goin' tah share?"

Sideswipe pretended to think for a minute. "No."

Jazz raised an optic ridge and then pushed me forwards. "So yo' are goin' to deny li'l lady here her first drink?"

Sunstreaker's optics lit up. "Wait, we're getting her over-energised? _Yes_! This is the irresponsibility I have been waiting for!" He practically dove into one of the crates and brought out a cube of purplish energon. It was darker than normal energon, but other than that it looked the exact same.

I took the cube and eyed it uncertainly. "What does it taste like?"

Sideswipe snickered. "Drink it and find out."

I hesitated for half a second. It had been quite a while since I had drunk. I raised it to my mouth and drained it. I blinked, feeling my optics grow bigger as an almost electric charge surged through my circuits. This definitely felt better than human drunkness.

Jazz grinned at my face. "'Another one?"

I nodded, and almost grabbed at the next cube Sideswipe passed me. He laughed at my eagerness and handed one to Jazz as well. I drank this one slower, and felt the charge spread leisurely throughout my body. I grinned satisfactorily, and sank down to sit on the floor.

That made Sunstreaker crack a smile, and he grabbed my arm and hauled me up to sit on my knee. "Slag, you get over-energised quickly."

I giggled and reached for another cube. No one stopped me as I drained this one quicker than the rest. Jazz shook his head slightly. "It _is_ her first time, to be fair."

Sideswipe laughed as he drained two cubes in a matter of seconds. I stared at him in wonder. "How'd you drink it so fast?" I asked, my words slurring together slightly as my vocaliser struggled to work around the electric charge.

From behind us, Ironhide snorted. "'Cause Sideswipe's been drinking high-grade since he was a sparkling."

Sideswipe laughed at my surprised face. "He's joking, Molly."

"Ironhide can _joke_?" I mumbled confusedly, laying my head on Sunstreaker's chassis.

Sideswipe burst out laughing, but Ironhide just shook his head and said "I don't think Solstice would be very pleased if she were to walk in."

Sideswipe shrugged. "She'd understand. Plus, she's on a scouting mission with Arcee."

Ironhide raised an optic ridge at me. "And what if Mirage were to come back?"

Sideswipe frowned. "So what if he came back?"

"Said he'd be gone for a few days." I said, grabbing for another cube, ignoring Jazz's snort of laughter as I almost dropped it. The charge was building up everywhere, and it was getting difficult to move my finger joints.

Sunstreaker tightened his grip on me almost subconsciously as he drained an energon cube. "He wouldn't care."

Ironhide snorted. "You should have heard him this morning. "Oh, Molly! I'll miss you! I'll think about you! You're beautiful the way you are, you don't need paint! Frag me!'" Ironhide had put on a ridiculously high voice to mimic Mirage, and sounded nothing like him.

Sunstreaker choked on his energon, and Sideswipe spit his out altogether. "He asked her to _frag_ him?!"

"No he didn't." I mumbled, shaking my head as I drained another cube.

Sideswipe glared at Ironhide. "Why would you even say that?"

Ironhide shrugged. "Wanted to see your reaction."

Sideswipe glared at him and grabbed three energon cubes to compensate for the one that he had already spit out. He drained them all in one go and grinned, his optics glowing several times brighter. "I love getting over-energised. So, what do you think of high grade?" He asked me. I was pleased to note that I wasn't the only one slurring my words, even if Sideswipe had had a lot more energon than I had.

"I like it." I giggled madly, and once I had started I couldn't stop. The giggles made way to full blown laughter, and soon I was curled up on Sunny's lap, still shaking with it.

Sunstreaker patted my back bemusedly, covering up his confusion by taking several cubes of energon.

After my eighth cube, things started to get hazy. In fact, the last thing I can remember is a kiss.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hahaha sorry for the cliffhanger :P I think I pissed off a lot of people... ^.^ and as for this chapter: I'm sorry it's short! And I have a feeling Mirage/Molly shippers are going to hate me so I'm sorry! **

**But anyway, on with the story!**

The next morning, I had a splitting processor-ache. Getting over-charged the night before had slowed the data flow to my processor down so much it physically hurt.

I couldn't remember anything of what happened the night before, but Jazz or the twins must have left me back to my dad. I winced slightly as I realised how painfully long and angry the lecture I was going to get was. For now, he didn't seem to be angry - his arm was around my waist in the protective stance it was usually in. Maybe if I pretended I was asleep forever, he wouldn't yell at me.

I groaned and rolled over, burying my head deeper into the berth.

"Molly, go back to recharge."

And with that, I promptly realised that (1, I was not in my room and (2, the mech who had their arm around my waist was _not_ my dad.

I sat up sharply and almost passed out when I saw where I was. "_Sideswipe_?!" I shrieked, scrambling backwards. I didn't get very far as I bumped into Sunstreaker, who was lying on my other side.

"Mmf." The yellow twin scowled at me. "It's too early for this."

"Wh- how did I get here? Did I stay over last night?"

Sideswipe laughed, and then saw my expression. "Wait, you're not joking? You can't remember?"

Sunstreaker sat up slightly. "You don't remember anything?"

"I remember having energon. And getting over-energised... Oh god. Please tell me we didn't do anything."

Sideswipe glanced at his twin awkwardly. "Umm... Define '_anything_'."

"Ratchet's gonna kill us." Sunstreaker mumbled, laying back down again.

My hand flew up to cover my mouth as I choked. "Ohhhh no no no no no." I struggled to get out of the berth. "No no no no no. Ratchet's gonna kill you. Holy crap, Ratchet's gonna kill _me_! Holy _shit_, forget Ratchet! _Solstice_ is going to _crucify_ me!"

Sideswipe reached out and pulled me back. "Molly, calm down, please. We weren't actually planning on telling Ratchet or Solstice."

"That means you're cheating on her." I said, trying to push his arms away.

Sideswipe was stubborn, and held on as if his life depended on it. "Molly, it's not that we're cheating-"

"If we weren't with her, would you be freaking out this badly?" Sunstreaker asked calmly.

I froze. "_Freaking out_? This isn't freaking out! I'm about to throw a bitch fit! Sideswipe, let me go or I swear to god, I'll-"

Sideswipe interrupted my sentence by kissing me. I stopped moving completely, totally shocked. A couple of seconds later, Sideswipe pulled back and grinned sheepishly at me. "Please don't throw a bitch fit."

I just stared at him. "Wouldn't it have been better," I said at last, "To do _that_ and _then_ interface with me? When I'm NOT over-charged?"

Sunstreaker sighed. "I'd like to see _anyone_ have _any_ self control when you kiss them like you kissed us last night."

My face burned with energon. "You started it."

Sunstreaker rolled his head around so he could look at me, and grinned. "No, that's the best part. We didn't."

Oh dear.

Sideswipe grinned excitedly and lay back against the berth, making sure that he was still holding my arm so that I couldn't get away. "By the way, I think our problem has been solved. Y'know, the overloading problem? Yep, you fixed that last night."

I buried my face in my hands. "Uhn. Why does this happen to me?" I raised my head and scowled at the both of them, "What the _hell_ happened to me being like your goddamned _little sister_?!"

Sideswipe nodded. "Yeah... That kinda went out the window yesterday."

Sunstreaker eyed me carefully. "Molly, we watched you grow up from a sparkling. It's just weird to think of you as a grown femme."

"Although she certainly proved she was a grown femme last night." Sideswipe stretched leisurely, grinning like a cat.

"That's _it_!" I lunged at him, fully intent on strangling him and ripping off his interface equipment.

"Molly!" Sunstreaker grabbed my waist and held me back. "Hey, hey! Calm _down_."

I growled and stopped fighting, settling for glaring at Sideswipe, who held up his hands in surrender. "I-I have to go." I pulled away from Sunstreaker and climbed out of the berth, freezing when I realised that I was only in my protoform. My face burned as I lunged for all the pieces of my armour that had been tossed around the room. Once I had grabbed all of it, I tossed it on the berth and stared at it blankly.

Sideswipe raised an optic ridge at me from where he was comfortably lying in the berth. "Problem?"

I could feel my face blush more. "Ummm... I've never put all of my armour back on."

Sunstreaker sat up straight so he could stare disbelievingly at me. "You don't know how to put your armour back on?"

I glared at him. "You're the one that took it _off_ me!"

"Sideswipe helped!" He yelled, pointing accusingly at his twin.

I picked up a piece of armour and tried fitting it on my arm.

"That goes on your back." Sideswipe snickered.

I scowled and tried to fit it on my back, but I couldn't reach around that far. I glanced up at the twins hopefully. "Ummm..."

Sunstreaker grinned widely and stood up from the berth, walking over to me. He took the plate from my hand and fitted it gently on my back. "There." He said softly, reaching for another plate and fitting it on my leg.

I shifted uncomfortably. "Thanks." I muttered as he began placing all the other plates all over my body.

"Oooh, that looks kinky." Sideswipe got up from the berth and bounced over.

"No! Shoo!" I glared at him and pushed him away from me.

"What? Why? Why is Sunny allowed near you? _He_ fragged you as well!"

"Don't call me that." Sunny hissed irritably. "And I'm allowed near her because _I_ don't keep saying stupid things."

"But... I can't help it! It just comes out of my mouthparts before I can stop it!"

Sunstreaker finished putting my armour on and stood. "There."

"Thanks." I mumbled again, moving away towards he door.

Sunstreaker caught my arm and held it. "You're not mad, are you?"

My fingers twitched. "Mad? Well actually, I kind of am."

"Why?" Sideswipe appeared at Sunstreaker's shoulder and made a kicked puppy expression at me.

"Because you interfaced with me while over-charged!"

"I think you're overreacting about that."

I smacked him hard on the arm. "_Asshole_." I smacked him again.

"Ow! We could do it again now that you're _not_ overcharged, if that makes you- _OW_!" He yelled as I smacked him again.

"Leaving!" I headed for the door. It slid open, and I glanced back at the twins before I left. "Please don't tell Solstice about this. She would _actually_ kill me."

I left as the twins opened their mouths, probably to defend their girlfriend. I covered my face with my hands for a few minutes, until I felt strong enough to walk down the corridor and back to my dad.

I slipped into our quarters as quietly as I could. Ratchet was sleeping sprawled out on the berth, his arm thrown over the place I usually was. I occurred to me that that was the exact position Sideswipe had been in when I had woken up.

I sneaked over to the berth and lay down delicately next to him. He didn't stir, and I allowed myself to relax.

"Where were you?"

I jerked in surprise as Ratchet's optics onlined and glared at me. Great. "Umm... I stayed at the twins' last night."

Ratchet just glared at me suspiciously, before leaning forwards and sniffing me. I froze. Was it even possible that he could smell the twins on me? "Who gave you high-grade?"

Oh. It wasn't the twins he could smell. "Jazz, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker." I said immediately.

He sighed and clenched his fist. "Next time any of those fraggers come to the med bay, I swear to Primus I'll-"

"Daddy, please leave it." I begged. "They just thought I needed a drink after yesterday. Y'know, the whole... Barricade incident." I winced slightly at his name.

Ratchet frowned and patted my helm. "Next time I see that fragger, he'll have another thing coming."

I smiled at his protectiveness and laid my head on his chassis.

He sighed and rubbed my back struts for a few more moments, before kissing the top of my helm and standing up. "I have to get to the med bay. I have several reports I need to finish." He said gruffly.

I nodded and curled up on the berth. "See you later, then."

He nodded as he left. Once he was gone, everything was painfully quiet.

I sighed and turned onto my side. I closed my eyes and tried desperately to remember what had happened the night before


	24. Chapter 24

**Yay, early update! It's my birthday tomorrow and I'll be away for the weekend, so I decided to update now :) hope you guys like it. And thank you all SO MUCH for all the reviews! I love them so much! PS, Carnomaniac, you have to start logging in! :L you make me laugh :P **

**anyway, please review :)**

"It's the first o' December today." Jazz announced conversationally.

I didn't glance up from where I was rewiring his forearm to his elbow joint. "It is."

"If I'm correct, an' I usually am, Solstice is gonna ask the twins tah sparkbond with her this month- Ow!"

"Sorry." I muttered, relaxing my hand from where it had tightened reflexively over his arm.

I could feel Jazz watching me from under his visor, and said nothing. "Yo' gonna do anything 'bout it?"

"I wasn't planning to. If they want to bond with her it's their business."

"Ya don' mean that."

I sighed and dropped the welder on the table. "No. I wish I did, though."

Jazz patted my shoulder and nodded. "I know. Mirage'll be back today."

"Yeah." I said half-heartedly. I wasn't sure how I was going to face him after the whole twins-interface thing.

"Don' sound too eager, now."

I sighed and sat down next to him. "I'm just tired."

"Yeah. I'm guessin' ya didn' exactly sleep on Tuesday night."

My hand froze from where it had been raised to check the wires in Jazz's shoulder joint. "What?"

Jazz's grin widened. "Did ya really think I wouldn't notice you an' the twins go missin' at the exact same time? Plus, I heard the noises when I was passin' the room. I woulda thought Solstice was back early or somethin', 'cept they kept sayin' your name."

I buried my face in my hands. "Oh my god. Please forget everything you heard."

Jazz scrunched up his face. "I think it's been mentally scarred into my processor."

I groaned. "Please don't tell my dad."

"I won' tell anyone, princess. I promise."

"Thank you." I sighed and picked up the welder.

"I jus' thought it was abou' time-" Jazz was cut off mid-sentence as the med bay doors opened and my dad stormed in.

"Where are they?!" He roared angrily.

My mouth fell open as I took in his appearance. He had been painted neon pink with yellow spirals and flowers imprinted all over him, and had what looked like a tattoo of Tinkerbell on his upper arm. "What happened to you?"

"I'm going to fragging send them to the pit. They seem so eager to meet Primus, why not send them now? I see no good reason not to." He began muttering crazily to himself as he marched over to his office and began picking out his best wrenches.

I glanced uncertainly at Jazz. "D'you wanna say something to him?"

"Nope. It's not my lover's lives that are being threatened. Ow!" He scowled as I smacked his head and walked over to Ratchet.

"Dad? Um... Maybe you should take it easy.. Whoa!" I yelped as Ratchet spun around to face me with a wrench raised and a crazed look in his optics.

"Take it EASY! I don't _think_ so! You can help!"

"Um... No, that's alright. I need to take care of Jazz." I jerked my thumb over my shoulder at the saboteur.

"Fine." Ratchet stalked out of the med bay with two shiny wrenches.

:•Prowl?•: I opened a comm. link between myself and the Second in Command.

:•I heard him roaring. I'm on my way.•:

:•Rec room.•:

:•On it.•:

I shook my head and turned back to Jazz. "What were you saying? Before my dear father glitched?"

"I was sayin' that I thought it was abou' time yo' and the twins got together." Jazz lay back leisurely on the medical berth.

My finger tightened compulsively and I turned back to face the medical instruments. "I don't think it's going to happen again, Jazz. It was a mistake."

Jazz sat up sharply. "Wha' d'you mean 'mistake'?"

"It wasn't meant to happen! We were drunk, and it was an accident!"

Jazz's visor winked unhappily. "No, it wasn'. Both yo' an' the twins wanted to. It wasn' an _accident_."

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "The twins would frag anything with a vagina."

"Wha's a vagina?" There was a moment of silence as he searched it up on the Internet. "Gah! Tha's _nasty_!"

"It is _not_! It's biology!"

"You are the weirdest femme ever. Primus." Jazz shook his helm. "Sunstreaker has a bit of a thing abou' humans. He don' like them too much."

I twiddled my fingers. "Yeah."

Jazz frowned. "Yo' okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Alrigh'." He said uncertainly. "Look, all I'm sayin' is tha' you like them, so I don' understand wha' the big deal is."

"I didn't want to interface with them just because we were overcharged, Jazz. It might have been nice if they actually realised what they were doing. And if I could remember."

"Molzo, they knew _exactly_ wha' they were doing." Jazz said frustratedly. "It takes a lot more'n a couple o' energon cubes to get _them_ over-charged, I promise."

"They had a lot of energon."

Jazz shook his head. "Sure, they were tipsy. But there's a reason _they_ can remember wha' happened."

I said nothing for a long moment, absorbing this information. In the silence, faint sounds of yelling could be heard.

In fact, the yells were becoming louder as whoever was yelling ran up the hallway, closer to the med bay. "Please tell me they're not going to hide here-"

The med bay doors slid open as the twins frantically scrambled in. "He's finally lost it!" Sideswipe yelled gleefully.

Jazz edged towards the wall. "I'd rather not be caugh' in the middle o' this..."

The twins grabbed me and held me in front of them like a shield as a very pink Ratchet stormed in, his wrench held aloft.

:•Prowl?!•:

:•Coming.•:

"Dad." I said soothingly. "Please put the wrench down."

He growled. "Did you see what they did to me?!"

"It's... Very pink. And very hard to miss." I winced slightly.

"You've never looked better!" Sideswipe called out from behind me.

"You're not helping your situation!" I hissed at him.

Ratchet snarled furiously. "Get out from behind my daughter, you Pit-damned spawn of Unicron!"

Prowl appeared in the doorway of the med bay and walked in, looking so calm it hurt. "Ratchet. Calm yourself."

Optimus followed him in, shaking his head. "Sideswipe, Sunstreaker. Is it so impossible for you to be mature?"

"It's not impossible. It's just boring." Sunstreaker rolled his optics.

Ratchet looked as though he were about to completely combust. "Molly. I'm going to have to ask you to get out of the way."

Sunstreaker's fingers tightened around my waist and Sideswipe did the same to my arm. "No! If she moves you'll hurt us!"

"Dad..." I said nervously. "If you calm down and let Prowl decide how to discipline them-"

"What?" Sunstreaker stared at me.

"You're meant to be on our side!" Sideswipe hissed. "You can't hand us over to Prowl!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you wanted to be deactivated by my dad instead!" I snapped irritably.

"I wouldn' piss her off," Jazz said in a loud stage-whisper, "I think I really annoyed her earlier."

I shot him a look. "Jazz.."

"I ain't sayin' anything!" Jazz held his hands up in surrender.

The twins picked me up suddenly, ignoring my yell, and edged to the side to get away from Ratchet. My dad glared and followed their movements, but didn't throw any wrenches. "I'm going to rewire you into microwaves." He snarled.

Sideswipe held me higher. "You wouldn't hit Molly!" He yelled.

"Put me down!"

Sunstreaker shook his head. "Not going to happen. Might scratch my paint."

I narrowed my optics at them. "Put. Me. _Down_."

"Do you want us to die?" Sideswipe caught sight of my glare. "It may be best if you don't answer that."

"Ratchet." Optimus stepped forwards and firmly pried Ratchet away. "Come with me until you calm down."

Ratchet looked like he were about to put up a fight, but he allowed himself to be dragged out, glaring daggers at the twins the whole way out.

As soon as they were sure he was gone and that Prowl had followed, they set me down on the ground. "Idiots." I muttered irritably, making my way back over to Jazz.

"Are you mad at us?"

Jazz gaped at him. "Primus. Even I wouldn' have asked tha' question." He shook his head. Sideswipe frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but Jazz continued before he could. "Obviously you said somethin' stupid to her after yo' interfaced."

Both the twins looked like startled fish, and I sniggered. "Every word that came out of their mouth parts was stupid."

"How did you know we-"

"_I'm_ not stupid, an' yo' are NOT good at bein' discreet."

"Well. This is awkward." Sideswipe rubbed his nasal ridge.

Jazz shrugged. "Yo' were idiots. Yo' should have broken up with Solstice first."

"We're not breaking up with her." Sunstreaker rolled his eyes.

My hand twitched slightly as I sat down next to Jazz and began working on his arm. He just stared at the twins. "Wha' do ya mean yo' aren't gonna break up wi'h her?"

"Well, we figured that we should just pretend like it never happened." Sideswipe told him.

Jazz turned to stare at me. "Molly agreed to that, did she?"

"Please don't." I whispered so only he could hear. "Don't, Jazz."

He huffed in annoyance and glanced back to the twins. "I don' like yo' girlfriend."

Sunstreaker looked surprised, and annoyed. "What?"

"She ain't nice." Jazz shrugged. "Ask anyone."

"Sideswipe, is Solstice nice?" Sunstreaker turned to his twin.

"Yep."

"I meant anyone bu' Sideswipe." Jazz said irritably.

"Molly. Is Solstice nice?"

My fingers slowed on Jazz's shoulder. "This is an awkward question."

"How? Just say yes or no."

I glanced at Jazz. "Umm.. No.."

"No?"

"How is she not nice?" Sideswipe looked bewildered.

"She ne'er was." Jazz rubbed his face. "You two just didn' see it."

It looked as though they were about to actually fight over this. "I'm.. Going to go."

"No! I need you for back-up here!" Jazz caught my wrist as I stood up.

Two furious growls erupted from the twins' vocalisers, and Jazz whipped his hand back. We stared at the twins in shock as they blinked, clearly as surprised as we were at their reaction.

"Wha' was tha'?" Jazz asked warily.

"What.. What do you mean?" Sunstreaker demanded, clearly trying to shrug it off.

"...Nothing." Jazz said at last, eyeing them closely.

"I'm.. Um.." I pointed uncertainly toward the door. Jazz and the twins nodded, still staring each other down. I made a hasty exit and hurried down the hall, shaking that incident off.

I emerged into the main hangar, making my way over to the main door and ducking outside. I smiled when the sun washed over my armour as I pulled myself up onto the roof of the main hangar like I usually did. I sighed and lay back against the metal roof, allowing the sun to heat my metal body. For some reason, my body felt bone-tired. I hadn't even been doing that much activity, yet it felt as though I had run a marathon.

I'm not entirely sure how long it took for me to realise I wasn't alone, but when I did I sat up nervously and glanced around. "Is someone there?"

"Hello."

I let out a shriek and almost toppled off the roof as Mirage's voice sounded right beside my audio receptor. "Jesus! Are you trying to give me a spark attack?!

The air rippled as Mirage became visible, looking worried. "Of course not! Do you want me to take you to Ratchet?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea. The twins gave him a new paint job."

"Ah." Mirage raised an optic ridge. "I can't imagine he was too pleased at that."

"He wasn't. When did you get back? How did your mission go?" I sat up straight so that I could look at him properly.

"I got back a little while ago. It went fine. There were no battle plans, however. Well, none that were stored on the mainframe. Although, they may keep their plans elsewhere-" he broke off and shook his head with a smile. "But that doesn't matter. How are you?"

My smile flickered slightly, but he didn't seem to notice. "Fine. I'm fine."

"Good. You look beautiful." He smiled back at me. "I got you something."

I blinked at him. "You did?"

"Certainly." He took a datapad out of his subspace and handed it to me. "I know that you have never been to Cybertron, and there were photos on the Decepticon mainframe..."

My optics widened as I turned the datapad on and the photos came up. The first picture was beautiful, of a skyline with large, graceful golden buildings reaching up to the dark sky.

"That is Praxus." Mirage told me softly.

"It's beautiful." I told him quietly.

"All of Cybertron was beautiful." He answered. "Keep going."

I flicked to the next picture. It was a city, with smaller, silver buildings. I couldn't help but marvel at the architecture; it was stunning. "Wow."

"Iacon." He told me quietly.

"Wow."

"I know." He murmured quietly, resting his arm around my shoulders.

I flicked to the next one and felt my optics widen.

"Kaon." Mirage told me. It was yet another city, but everything seemed to be a stark contrast to the other two. The buildings were dark and thin, and didn't look as new or as well kept as the others. It was easy to see what looked like slums around the bottom of the buildings, and a strange Colosseum-shaped building. "What's that?" I asked, pointing to the Colosseum-building.

"That is the Pit of Kaon." Mirage murmured. "I suppose they were a type of gladiatorial fighting pits. The wealthy would go for entertainment, to watch the poor fight for money. Not many survived, and once a gladiator it was near enough impossible to leave. Some got well and truly famous, and were very richly paid. You should ask the twins about it sometime."

I glanced up at him, confused. "What would the twins know about it?"

Mirage looked at me, surprise evident in his optics. "They never told you? They were gladiators in the Pit."

I stared at him, horrified. "What?"

Mirage nodded. "Yes. They managed to get out. Primus knows how, but those twins are nothing if not stubborn."

"Oh my god. I never knew that. They.. fought like gladiators?"

"You've never wondered how they were such good fighters?"

I shook my head, my eyes wide and horrified. "No. I never even asked!"

"Perhaps it was not my place to tell you." He sat up slightly and took my hand. "I thought you knew."

"It's alright." I muttered distractedly, flicking to the next picture. "Oh my _god_..."

The picture was clearly inside the Pit. It showed a dark hole, lit by what looked like electric candles, and inside two mechs were trying to kill each other with long, jagged blades.

"It... was not a nice place." Mirage said slowly.

I flicked to the next picture. A mech curled up in pain as a second mech stood over him with his weapon raised, looking up at something above him.

"He is looking to see if the crowd vote for him to kill him or to set him free." Mirage answered my unspoken question. "Unfortunately, mercy was not very common in Kaon."

I winced. "So.. A lot of people were killed."

"Yes. The ones that won and lived ended up wealthy, but still tied to their contracts in the Pit. Hardly any gladiator ever outlived their contract." I said nothing, gazing at the picture in silence. "Perhaps I should have looked through these pictures before showing them to you.."

"No, no. I want to see them." I insisted. I flicked to the next couple of pictures, listening to Mirage's commentary on the nicer pictures, like the crystal park in Praxus or the sloping dome buildings of Polyhex.

"Thank you." I said at last, once all the photos had been seen.

Mirage smiled at me. "There's nothing to thank me for." He said easily. I shrugged and leaned into him, desperate for any kind of comfort. He tightened his arm around my shoulders. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine." I rested my helm against his shoulder and shuttered my optics.

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"No, of course not."

"Okay." Was all he said, humming lightly and reassuringly as he traced patterns on the back of my helm.

We stayed silent for several minutes. Our peaceful silence was broken when Sideswipe's voice called "MOLLY?" from inside the hangar.

Mirage's arm tightened around me momentarily, before he sighed and let me go. "Every time." He muttered irritably.

I smiled. "Sorry." I shrugged as Sideswipe came out of the building and looked up, spotting us immediately. His face morphed into a scowl at the sight of Mirage.

I jumped down off the roof and landed next to Sideswipe, who scowled at me. "I didn't know he was back."

"It's good to see you, too." Mirage called down sarcastically as Sunstreaker walked out of the hangar door.

Sunstreaker glanced up at Mirage, who hadn't moved from his spot on the roof, then back to Sideswipe. "Did you talk to her?"

"No," Sideswipe turned to me and lowered his voice, "We need to talk to you."

"Okay." I raised an optic ridge.

Sunstreaker scowled. "Alone."

I sighed and glanced back up at Mirage. "Be right back."

Mirage nodded to me as I walked away with the twins. "Stop glaring." I told them.

They both turned swiftly around, hiding their glares quickly. "We weren't."

Once we were a sufficient distance away from the buildings, we stopped walking. The twins shared a look. "Uhh.. Well, we need to talk you."

"Yes."

"Jazz.. Uh.. Jazz told us that we were being.. I think the word he used was '_dickheads_'." Sunstreaker scowled irritably.

"You mean you didn't figure that out yourselves?" I asked quietly.

"Look, we haven't exactly been in this situation before." He said, scowl deepening.

"I thought you said you'd been in this situation hundreds of times?"

"I don't think anyone has been in this situation. How many people do you think have fragged Ratchet's sparkling and gotten away with it?"

I narrowed my optics at him. "Just two. So far."

Sideswipe winced. "Ouch. Look, we just wanted to say that we're sorry for being insensitive about it."

"Especially Sideswipe." Sunstreaker added.

Sideswipe scowled. "Yeah. 'Specially me."

"Jazz wanted us to break up with Solstice," Sunstreaker began, "but the thing is, we don't-"

"It doesn't matter." I interrupted. "Jazz just- he just- I don't know. It doesn't matter." The twins looked as though they were about to continue on with the Solstice subject, and I was so desperate to get away from the topic that I blurted out "How come you didn't tell me about the Pit of Kaon?"

The twins froze completely and stared at me. Sideswipe's mouth hung open slightly, and Sunstreaker's optics went cold. "Where," he began, "did you hear about that?"

"It's true then?" I asked. Some part of me had hoped that it wasn't - that they hadn't killed those people.

"I think we should talk about this some other time." Sunstreaker said stiffly.

"Oh. Okay." I nodded quickly, "I'm sorry, I just-"

"Forget it." Sunstreaker said gruffly.

I winced and nodded again. "Okay. Sorry. I'd.. Um.. I'd better go back to Mirage, then."

Sideswipe scowled. "Why?"

"Because he's waiting for me."

"He can wait a little longer."

I sighed. "Sideswipe, I would have thought that you had seen _quite_ enough of me to do you for a lifetime."

Sideswipe grinned cheekily. "Us Cybertronians live for a _very_ long time."

I looked away so that he wouldn't see my cheeks flush with energon. "I know that. But you've still seen more of me than anyone else."

"We're your best friends." He protested.

"My god, Sideswipe! That doesn't mean you should-"

"No, I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that we know you better than most, even before we did the dirty tango."

"Shhh!" I glanced around desperately. "Sideswipe, please don't broadcast it."

:•Gentlemechs and femme-ladies, did you know that last Tuesday night, myself and my twin had the privilege of fra-•:

:•Sideswipe!•: I lunged at him as he began broadcasting over the public comm. channel. He yelped as I collided with him and knocked him to the ground.

"Paint! _Paint_!"

Sunstreaker just sighed and shook his head, watching us. After a moment or two of watching me try to throttle his twin, he stepped forwards and pulled me off. "Calm down."

I huffed and took a step back, glaring at Sideswipe. "I'm going to go back to Mirage." I took a step away from them, and two furious growls ripped out of their vocal processors. I froze and turned to face them. "What was _that_?"

The twins looked startled. "We weren't meant to do that."

"Okay." I eyed them uncertainly, before walking away again. This time, there were no growls, so I kept going. Away from the twins, and back to Mirage.


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey! i was sick all week, so I had time to write TWO chapters! :D yay! I'll upload the second one tomorrow :) and to one of the Guest reviewer I just want to say im sorry I caused you to die. That was not my intention :L**

**enjoand and please review! :D**

"Molly? Wake up."

"Mmf."

My dad huffed irritably, but at the same time he sounded almost... worried. "Molly. Please? Please wake up."

"Mmmmmf."

"Molly, I'm worried about you. You need to wake up for me."

I rolled over onto my back and onlined my optics, peeking up at him. "I'm really tired, daddy."

"You can't be." He frowned. "You've been in recharge for eighteen hours."

My optics widened and I sat up quickly. "What?"

"How do you feel?" He asked, sitting down on the berth next to me and looking at me closely.

"I feel... Tired." I admitted. "But how can I be if I slept for eighteen hours?"

Ratchet just frowned. "I don't know, sweetspark. I'd like you to come to the med bay with me, so that I can keep an eye on you."

"Dad-"

"I'll be _nice_ to every patient! I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine." I insisted, but got out of the berth and followed him to the med bay anyway.

"I'm just going to finish up some reports." He told me, disappearing into his office.

I just nodded vaguely and sat down, feeling exhausted. I rested my helm on my arms and offlined my optics. It made no sense to feel this tired, especially if my internal chronometer told me that I was functioning at 99.9%.

I had almost slipped back into recharge when the med bay door opened up, and Sunstreaker walked in with Solstice. I blinked and sat up, watching them come over to me. "Hi."

Solstice smiled sweetly. "Hello, Molly."

"Hey." Sunstreaker greeted gruffly.

"Oh, for Primus' sake." Ratchet growled as he came out of his office, "What's wrong now?"

Sunstreaker held out his arm. Literally. It looked as though it had been torn straight off his body, and the wires poking out at the end sparked and crackled. "Ironhide got carried away in training." Was all he said.

Ratchet looked as though he were about to start yelling. Instead, he turned to me and said "Molly, would you please be so kind as to get me my tools?"

I blinked in surprise at his politeness, before nodding and retrieving his medical tools. "Here."

"Thank you." He said, pulling out a few tools and gesturing to a medical berth. "Please sit down, Sunstreaker."

Everyone was gaping at Ratchet in shock. "Dad, are you okay?"

Ratchet huffed irritably. "I was trying to be nice. I promised you that I'd be nice to every patient if you got up."

"I thought you were just trying to convince me to get up." I admitted.

"I was. But I made a promise." He muttered. "As annoying as it is."

A moment later, Sideswipe bounced in with scratches and dents covering every part of his body except his face. "Hey, Hatchet."

Ratchet stared at him. "What the frag happened to you?"

"Ironhide." Sideswipe hopped up on the medical berth next to his twin.

"He got you too?" Sunstreaker raised an optic ridge.

"Yup. He was in the middle of killing Jazz when I left."

Ratchet huffed and turned back to Sunstreaker. "I think Ironhide has a _little_ bit more self control than-"

"Hey, doc." Jazz called out as he entered the room. His visor was cracked all over and looked as though it were about to shatter into pieces, and he looked as though he had been thrown through several walls by Megatron. "Ironhide." he said by way of explanation.

Ratchet stared blankly at him. "I don't understand what-"

The med bay door slid open and Bluestreak shuffled in, cradling his arm - it was hanging onto his shoulder joint by a single wire. "Hey, guys." He said dully.

Ratchet growled in frustration. "Solstice, get out."

Solstice turned to stare at him in shock. "What?"

"I need everyone that isn't a patient to get the frag out."

Solstice reached out to the twins. "But my-"

"I don't care, leave." Ratchet growled, then winced. "Please."

She looked affronted,"_She's_ in here, and she isn't hurt!" She pointed at me.

"She is my _daughter_ and a trainee medic. I don't want to have to ask you to leave again."

Solstice clenched her jaw and left. Bluestreak smiled sheepishly. "Umm, Ironhide-"

"Yes, yes. Sit down." Ratchet grumbled, then scowled. "Please."

Looking surprised, Bluestreak set himself down on a medical berth. Ratchet turned back to Sunstreaker and began working on his shoulder.

Sunstreaker let out a hiss of pain as Ratchet pulled on a wire, and I felt my optics begin to well up with energon tears. Having no explanation for the tears, I whirled around so no one could see me. I couldn't figure out why, but I suddenly felt so sad that I just wanted to curl up and cry.

"There, Sunstreaker's done. Sideswipe, come here. Molly, pass me the- Molly?"

I sucked in a small breath. "Umm.. Yeah?" My voice cracked.

"What's wrong?" Ratchet was on his feet and over to me in an instant. "Why are you crying?"

"I don't know." I choked, feeling more tears flood up. I buried my head in Ratchet's shoulder and sobbed.

I could feel him turn to stare at the others, who were staring open-mouthed. "Did something happen that I didn't see?"

Sunstreaker stood up and walked over to us. "Molly? What's wrong?"

I choked back a sob and lifted my head out of Ratchet's shoulder. "I don't know!" I wailed, flinging my arms around Sunstreaker and burying my head in his chassis.

He froze and stared down at me with the most bewildered look I had ever seen. "Wh-?"

"I feel like I'm on my period or something." I sniffled.

"Cybertronians do not get menstruation cycles." Ratchet frowned.

"I know, I just feel like I am."

"Human femmes _bleed_ out of their interface ports?" Sideswipe yelped in horror behind us, after clearly looking up the meaning of 'period' on the Internet.

For some reason, that made me cry more. Ratchet frowned, then stepped forwards and tried to pry me off Sunstreaker. It didn't work, because not only did my arms tighten around the golden twin, but he held on tightly to me, too. "Leave her."

Ratchet frowned. "Fine." He stepped back and returned to fixing the others, keeping a close eye on Sunstreaker and I.

Sunny sighed and tugged me over to a chair. He sat down and pulled me onto his lap. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I don't know what's wrong." I whispered, more energon tears falling down my face as I buried it into his neck.

He rubbed my back, making helpless faces at Sideswipe over my shoulder. "Come on, it's alright. I thought you were mad at me and Sideswipe."

"No!" I sobbed, shaking my head desperately, "No, I forgive you! Please don't leave."

Sunstreaker stared at me. "I'm not going to leave, Molly. Calm down. I'm not going anywhere."

"You will. They always do." I whispered, tears streaming down my face as I laid my head on his shoulder.

"No. No, I won't. Neither will Sideswipe. Look, we're right here." Sunstreaker insisted. "Ratchet's not going to leave either. Molly?"

My hands tightened on his shoulders. "I don't want you to go."

"I won't." Sunstreaker motioned for help over my shoulder, and I pretended I didn't notice.

"I want you to promise." I whispered.

"I promise." He said immediately.

I heard Ratchet walk over and kneel next to us, but I didn't lift my head from Sunstreaker's shoulder. "Molly, has this ever happened before?"

"Has what ever happened before? Her freaking out like this? I think we would remember!" Sunstreaker hissed.

"It could be the first time she's glitched!" Ratchet snapped back.

"A glitch? Wha', like Prowl's?" Jazz inquired curiously.

"Perhaps." Ratchet tilted my head up to face him. "I've never seen anyone glitch like that though. In fact, I've never seen anything like that since-" he broke off abruptly, staring at me with wide optics.

Sunstreaker frowned at him. "Since what?"

"Since... Since... Along with the recharging... Molly, I need to talk to you."

I raised my head properly from Sunstreaker's shoulder. "Okay." I whispered. Sunstreaker wiped the energon tears off my face.

"Alone, please."

I stood up off Sunstreaker and followed Ratchet to his office, before glancing fearfully over my shoulder at Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. "We'll be here when you get back." Sideswipe promised.

I nodded and walked into Ratchet's office. He was pacing back and forth as the door slid closed behind me. "Molly... I need you to sit down while I scan you."

"Why?"

"Please." Was all he said.

I sat down obediently and waited as Ratchet pulled out his scanner and ran it over me. He was silent for a moment as he looked over the results of the scan, before a dangerous snarl ripped out of his vocaliser. "Who was it?" He sounded so dangerous that I was actually afraid to answer.

"What do you mean?"

"Molly. Who did you interface with?" He snarled furiously.

My optics widened in shock. "What? How did you know I-"

"Was it Mirage?"

"No, but how did-"

"It was the twins then."

I fell helplessly silent and stared at him. He took my silence as confirmation and snarled dangerously. "I'm going to tear off their interface equipment and shove it down their _throats_, before deactivating their weapons and throwing them at Megatron-" he began heading for the door.

It slid open and he stormed out, clearly ready to kill them. He had _actually_ transformed his arm into a blaster. I didn't even know he _had_ a blaster. "Dad!" I dived after him and tackled his legs, pulling him to the ground.

"_Molly_!" He roared, struggling to get up again.

I bounced to my feet and dragged him by the legs back into his office, ignoring the shocked looks of everyone that was still sitting in the med bay as the doors closed again. "Dad-"

"Molly, do you even know what they've _done_?" He snarled furiously.

"They-"

"This is what happened when you stayed in their quarters when you were over-charged, isn't it?"

"Dad-"

"You're _sparked_, Molly!" He roared.

I froze in place and stared at him. "What?" I whispered at last.

Ratchet seemed to deflate. "Sparked. My daughter is sparked. I don't.. I can't believe this. I am going to fragging _kill_ them-"

"Sparked... Like.. _Pregnant_?" I whispered, hands drifting to my stomach confusedly.

Ratchet turned and saw my expression. "Oh... You were pregnant when.. Oh." He looked somewhat guilty as he stepped forwards and clasped my hands, before bringing them up to rest over my chassis. "It's just a spark for now. It will remain in your spark chamber until it is strong enough to be without the energy from your spark. When it splits from your spark, it will sink into your gestation chamber, which is here," he tapped on my stomach area, "It will stay there until it grows its protoform, and then.. Well, then you will have a sparkling. Molly, I don't-"

"A sparkling." I whispered, clutching at my chassis. "My own sparkling?"

Ratchet fell silent and watched me. More tears poured down my face, but this time they were happy ones. "Molly.. I don't know if you should keep it."

My head shot up to look at him. "Of _course_ I'm keeping it."

Ratchet looked awkward. "Molly.. It's just that usually the creators need to be sparkbonded. Otherwise, the carriers spark wouldn't be strong enough to keep the baby spark alive."

I stared at him. "But.. But it has to live. Daddy, I _can't_ give it up."

Ratchet flexed his fingers and whirled around angrily. "I'm going to kill those ignorant _slaggers_ for putting me in this position."

"Daddy." I whispered, gaining his attention. "I can't lose another one."

His face fell at my expression, and he stepped forwards to hug me. "Molly..."

"Please. I need to keep it."

"Fine." He relented. "It will be hard-"

I laughed and shook my head. "No, I don't care! I'm going to have a baby!"

Ratchet looked at a loss, before he nodded. "Yes. My dear... I hate to say it, but I don't think you should mention it to the aftho- twins."

My smile faltered. "Why not?"

"Because sweetspark, despite what they so _stupidly_ did with you," Ratchet glared furiously, "They are still in a relationship."

_Solstice. Oh, yeah._

"Oh. Right." I said, dropping my hands from my chassis. "But... They're going to find out eventually."

"We'll deal with that when it comes." Ratchet sighed. "First, we have to make sure you don't die."

I blinked in shock as my hands came back up to rest on my chassis again. "What?"

Ratchet rubbed his face. "I won't let it happen. Remember when I told you about the carriers spark not being strong enough to support the baby spark on its own?" I nodded, and he continued, "Well, if the carrier is raising the sparkling on his or her own, both sparks grow weaker and weaker as the energies feed off each other. Eventually, both sparks extinguish."

My hand clenched around my chassis and I shook my head. "But, we can't-"

"I won't let it happen." He promised, stepping forwards and wrapping me in a hug.

"One more thing... I thought sparklings were created when two compatible sparks bonded..?" I raised my head and frowned.

Ratchet sighed. "Yes, that's one way. But the old way of creating sparklings was interfacing. That practice died out, as newer model femmes didn't have the parts necessary for sparklings to be created via interface. But, as you were once human, I suspect that your body was created to be as human-like as possible. I suppose that is why you became sparked by the twins. I swear to Primus, if those stupid pieces of scrap-heap rejects have caused any damage to you, Primus help me, I'll-"

"Dad? You can't beat the twins up."

His hands tightened. "Why the frag not?"

"Because they can't know that you know, otherwise they'll know that you know and know what we know."

"That made _no_ sense." He growled.

"Promise?"

"Very well." He rumbled, sounding pissy.

"Thank you." I stepped back and smiled widely at him.

He just rolled his optics and led the way out of his office and back into the med bay.

Everyone turned around and stared at us as we walked in. I silently thanked Primus that Ratchet's office was soundproofed.

"Is everything alright?" Sideswipe asked warily, eyeing me as I bounced over to Sunstreaker and leapt back into his lap.

"Perfect." I beamed, resting my head on Sunstreaker's chassis.

Sunstreaker turned to look bemusedly at Ratchet, but all he got was a glare that screamed '_you were the one that did this to her, so don't look at me you arrogant slagger'._

:•Molly, I have to warn you that you will be very... I believe the human equivalent is 'hormonal'. But I think you proved that a few moments ago.•: Ratchet glanced over to me as he went back to working on Sides.

:•That's okay. I was hormonal when I was pregnant as a human.•: I replied, watching as Sideswipe winced at the harsh treatment of Ratchet as he banged out his dents. I knew perfectly well that this was my dads way of revenge, as he had promised me he wouldn't hurt them.

:•This will be a different kind of hormonal, my dear. I'm talking about bizarre mood swings, bizarre emotions and, most importantly, the urge to find a mate.•:

I almost shot straight out of Sunstreaker's lap when my dad said that. "What?" I shrieked out loud.

My dad sighed and set down the small hammer he had been using to even out Sideswipe's armour. "Calm down. It's natural-"

"No it's not! What kind of urge is _that_?!"

"A perfectly logical one, if you'd just let me explain!"

I huffed and relaxed back against Sunny, who was staring in pure, unadulterated confusion at me and Ratchet. "What's going _on_?"

:•It's because you aren't sparkbonded. The natural instinct is to find a sparkmate in order to strengthen the spark. So, if you begin to get strange urges around mechs, then please, for your sake as well as my own, control yourself.•:

I stared at him in mild horror. :•But... How bad are these urges going to be?•:

:•It varies with each carrier but,•: Ratchet winced, :•Judging by the strength of your mood swing a few minutes ago, I can imagine it's going to be bad.•:

"Fantastic." I groaned out loud, dropping my head back onto Sunny with a clang.

"What?" Both twins asked at the same time.

:•Umm... Would the sparkling affect the twins in any way? Like... Make them growl at people?•:

Ratchet frowned and glanced over to where I was sitting on Sunstreaker. :•No. I see no reason why-•: he broke off mid-thought, staring blankly at the twins. :•Unless they're Kaonian... Which they are...•:

"What does that mean?" I asked out loud, leaning forwards in Sunstreaker's lap.

"I haven't seen it in eons..." My dad murmured, beginning his repairs on Jazz. He reverted to our sparkbond again, :•Kaonian programming tends to be quite different from Iaconian or Praxian programming. One of the differences being that they get incredibly territorial and defensive. The twins haven't been like that because nothing so far because nothing would have triggered their programming. But I'm guessing when you interfaced with them,•: he practically growled out loud as he fixed Jazz's visor, :•It set off their programming. I'm sure it'll shut down once they sparkbond to Solstice•:

I winced slightly at the thought and looked down.

:•I'm sorry, was that insensitive?•: I just rolled my optics at him. A moment later, he spoke out loud. "Molly, will you get me my extra tools, please? They're in my office."

I nodded and stood up reluctantly off Sunstreaker, making my way into my dad's office. The door slid closed behind me as I began searching for the extra tools. They didn't seem to be there.

I turned and headed back into the med bay to tell my dad that his tools weren't there, but when the door opened all I could see was my dad sitting on Sideswipe's back and beating the slag out of him with a wrench whilst holding Sunstreaker by the neck.

"Stupid, arrogant, ignorant _fragballs_! What the slag were you _thinking_ you useless piles of _scrap_-"

Jazz and Bluetreak were watching in relieved terror, clearly half thankful it wasn't them getting beaten up.

I let out a sigh. I probably should have expected this. "Well. That escalated quickly."

Jazz glanced at me and shook his helm. "I realise that yo' thinkin' o' pullin' Ratchet off of them, but I ain't ever seen him this slagged off before. I'd leave him."

I stared anxiously at the three of them as Sunstreaker struggled to sit up and Ratchet punched him in the face. :•Optimus? We have a situation.•:


	26. Chapter 26

**Okay, so.. there's kissing in this scene! FINALLY! :D so here we go :) please review!**

"I won!"

"No, you cheated."

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were arguing in the rec room, holding Cybertronian-sized playing cards in their hands. They were severely dented in several places, despite the fact that myself and First Aid had done our best to hammer the worst of the injuries out. Their paint was still impeccable due to the fact that the minute I had finished repairing the injuries my dad had caused, they had both ran off to find some paint to cover up the long, marring scratches that had been covering them from head to toe. It looked like they had been dragged through a very angry, sharp-branched bush by Megatron in a bad mood.

Jazz shook his helm at them. "Yo' both cheated."

"Yeah, but I cheated better." Sunstreaker argued immediately.

"Molly!"

I glanced down in the direction I heard my name, and smiled when I saw Laurie bouncing my way. "Hey, Laurie."

The tiny brunette grinned and waved up at me. "How're you doing?"

"I'm fine." I said as she climbed into my outstretched palm. I raised her up to optic level. "How are you?"

"I'm great." She beamed. "Do you know where Bluestreak is?"

"I don't, sorry."

"That's okay. He said he would tell me stories about Cybertron." She grinned excitedly. "I really want to hear them."

"I can comm. him, if you like." I offered.

Laurie smiled and shook her head. "It's okay, I can find him."

I nodded and set her back on the ground, watching as she scampered off. I straightened and ignored the tugging I felt in my spark. It was tugging towards the twins, and I had to keep reminding myself it was the sparkling. I was pretty sure that if I hadn't known it was the sparkling trying to get close to its creators, I probably would have jumped them and... Well. I didn't want to think about that. Actually I did, I just figured this was a bad time and place.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just the twins I felt like jumping. It was every male that was in close proximity to me - but the pull to the twins was the strongest. Thankfully, Ratchet had warned me about this side effect already.

"I give up on yo' two!" Jazz yelled suddenly, throwing down the cards that the government had so kindly provided. "Call me when yo' ready to play wi'hout cheatin'!" He leapt to his feet and stormed a whole two metres over to where I was sitting, before he threw himself down beside me with a huff.

I leaned away from him apprehensively. "Maybe you should sit somewhere else." I winced as I felt the tugging in my spark.

Jazz glanced at me and tilted his head. "Wha'?" He asked, his mouth twisted in an affronted frown.

"Um..." Was all I managed to say, leaning away from him and struggling to ignore the urge to simply jump on him and... Ugh. This was the supposed _'urge to find a mate'_ Ratchet had been talking about.

"Wha's wrong wi'h yo'? Yo' okay?" Jazz continued, completely clueless.

I just nodded, still leaning away. At that moment, Ratchet walked in to the rec. room and glanced around. He spotted me almost immediately and made his way over, optics narrowing at Jazz when he saw my expression. "Away." He commanded when he reached us.

Jazz blinked. "I'm not doin' nothin'."

"I said away." Ratchet narrowed his optics further.

"But-"

Ratchet's hand went to his wrench, causing Jazz to yelp and scramble away. My dad turned back to me hand brought out his scanner from subspace. "You know the drill."

I stood up and went stock still in order for Ratchet to scan me. I ignored the curious looks I was receiving from half the room as the tingling went through my body, localising at my spark chamber.

"Was it bad?" He asked abruptly, clearly referring to my 'urge'.

"When, just now? Yeah."

Ratchet nodded and subspaced his scanner. "Everything is looking fine."

I could feel the ridiculous grin spread across my face. "Great!"

"Mhm." He said grumpily as he looked through the results of the scan again.

I sat back down again, and within seconds Sideswipe was on the arm of the chair. "What was that? You hate getting scanned." He demanded. The close proximity of him was causing the tugging in my spark to start up again, double the intensity.

Ratchet growled furiously. He was still annoyed that Optimus had yanked him off the twins before any seriously permanent damage had been caused.

"Different circumstances." I shrugged, smiling again.

"What kind of circumstances would make you _happy_ to be getting scanned?"

The tugging in my spark was becoming hard to ignore. The worst part was, I knew that if I _did_ lose it and simply leap right on Sideswipe, he probably wouldn't offer any resistance. The only thing that was stopping me (apart from the fact that Ratchet was standing right next to my chair) was the fact that Solstice was glaring across the room at us.

"Molly?" Ratchet asked warily, watching my expression.

"Yeah?" I asked, voice extremely strained.

"Sideswipe. Please step away." Ratchet said delicately, stepping forward as if getting ready to restrain me.

I shook my head. "It's okay, I can.. Just give me a sec." I managed to say without my voice cracking.

Sideswipe frowned, clearly confused. "What's going on?"

"Get out of here." Ratchet repeated, his voice dropping to a threatening growl.

"But what- Agh!"

Sideswipe was sharply cut off as my dad stood up and punched him right across the face.

I jumped in shock and felt my optics widen as Sideswipe winced and held his nasal ridge. "_Damn_, Hatchet. That _hurt_!"

"Good." My dad knelt in front of me. "Molly. Just think of something else. Take deep cycles of air."

I did as he said, struggling to calm myself down. The tugging had lessened slightly. "I'm okay."

Ratchet nodded and planted himself firmly beside me on the couch. I curled up into him, one hand coming up to rest almost absentmindedly on my spark chamber.

"I'm missing something, aren't I?" Sideswipe demanded suddenly, putting his hands on his hips.

Ratchet growled irritably, "Sideswipe, if you don't leave _right now_, I swear to Primus, I'll-"

"Well, I'm worried! You won't tell me what's wrong!"

"Nothing's wrong." I interjected. "Don't worry."

Sideswipe narrowed his optics at me. "I don't believe you."

Ratchet grumbled suddenly. "I'm needed in the med bay. Wheeljack blew himself up again. Will you be alright here? Do you need someone to watch over you?"

"Me and Sunny are here." Sideswipe spread his arms out.

Ratchet glared at him. "Yes. That is why I'm asking her if she needs someone to watch over her."

Sideswipe looked confused, so I butted in. "I'm fine, dad. I'll comm. you if I need anything."

Ratchet nodded reluctantly and stood. Before he left, he pointed a finger threateningly in Sideswipe's face and lowered his voice. "I would have offlined you yesterday if it weren't for my daughter. Even so, if you lay a hand on her again I will tear your interfacing equipment off and throw it to the Dinobots."

Sideswipe turned to stare at me in shock as Ratchet stormed out the door. "What... The frag..?"

I sighed and curled up on myself. That was going to lead to a lot of questions.

Sideswipe came over and sat next to me on the couch, ignoring the fact that I was straining to get away from him. "Why is he acting so weirdly?"

"Ummm..."

"Why are _you_ acting so weirdly?" He asked abruptly, "Why do you keep trying to move away?" He pulled me closer to him, so that I was practically sitting in his lap.

I expected the pull in my spark to increase at our closeness, but it lessened, much to my surprise. It seemed the sparkling was just content to be near him.

"Now." Sideswipe sounded pleased with our new seating arrangement. "Tell me what Ratchet was talking about."

I didn't think about the fact that the rec room was full of 'bots, including Solstice, and I forgot about my earlier worries of getting too close to him - I just curled up in Sideswipe's lap. "I... May have told him..."

"Told him what, princess?" Sideswipe looked a bit surprised at my willingness to give in to sitting on his lap, but continued on as normal.

"That we interfaced." I mumbled quietly into his chassis.

I could feel him stiffen, and I shuttered my optics as I waited for his response. He was silent for a moment, "You... Told him. And I'm.. _I'm still functioning_?!"

I rested my head in his neck joint, "Mhmm."

Sideswipe pulled me back a bit so he could look at me in the optic. "Molly, are you even listening?"

"Mhmm." I immediately closed the distance between us and laid my head on his chassis again.

"Molly-" Sideswipe said helplessly, "What are you doing?"

_Yeah, what am I doing?,_ a tiny logical part of my processor demanded, but it was ignored. "Shhh. Resting."

Sideswipe looked frustrated. "Molly, this is serious!"

I didn't raise my head from his chassis. "Sides, can I just sleep here?"

"Wh-? Molly, any other time I'd say yeah, but you're acting really fragging weird right now." Sideswipe said helplessly as I offlined my optics sleepily. "C'mon, Mollzers? You even listening?"

"Mhmm."

Sideswipe sighed in frustration and apparently gave up on convincing me to answer him as he fell back against the couch. A moment later however, his arms tightened around me.

"Molly?" A familiar voice asked.

I glanced around from Sideswipe's chassis to see Mirage staring worriedly at me. "Oh, hey 'Raj."

"Is everything okay?" He asked, eyeing Sideswipe cautiously.

Sideswipe scowled back at him. "Everything's fine."

"I was asking Molly."

I smiled sleepily. "I'm fine, Mirage. Just tired."

"Would you like to get some energon?"

"No, thanks." Sideswipe said abruptly, tightening his arms around me almost painfully. "I had some already. Maybe some other time."

"I was talking to _Molly_." Mirage ground out in annoyance.

"Thanks, 'Raj, but I already had some." I smiled sleepily at him, burrowing absentmindedly into Sideswipe's chassis. "Maybe later."

Mirage nodded and walked away, looking faintly disappointed and confused. Somewhere in my spark, normal feelings of pity could be felt, but they were way over shadowed by the need to be close to the twins. Sideswipe glanced down at me as I cuddled into him. "You're not meeting with him later, are you?" A little growl vibrated in his chassis.

"No. probably not..." I said absently. It would be far too hard to move away from Sideswipe, and when I did I didn't want to feel the tugging towards Mirage.

Sideswipe seemed satisfied and wrapped his arms more comfortably around my back. "Y'know, you're acting kinda weird. Actually, you're acting _really_ weird. I'm not complaining, because I like it, but what's up?"

"Nothing. Everything's great." I smiled contentedly, feelings of happiness radiating from my spark.

"Well, _this_ looks interesting." Sunstreaker's voice announced suddenly as he sat next to us.

I picked up my head and beamed at him, before awkwardly climbing into the middle of them so that I could sit half in each of their laps. I smiled and rested my head on Sideswipe's shoulder as I hugged Sunny's arm.

Sunstreaker stared at me in shock. "What in the name of Primus are you doing?"

My face fell. "Am I bothering you? I can go away if you want."

Sunstreaker looked completely lost and confused, but Sideswipe acted quickly. He wrapped both his arms tightly around me and rocked me side to side slightly. "No, no, no! You're not bothering anybody! We don't want you to go. Right, Sunny?"

"Don't call me that." Sunstreaker grumbled, before glancing back to me. "Of course we want you to stay."

"Promise?"

His optics widened as he recalled the other day, when I had broken down in tears. "Oh, are you glitchi- umm... I mean yes, I promise."

I curled up again as both of them cast each other bemused looks. I remained quiet as the twins had a silent conversation which comprised of helpless gestures and confused expressions. Eventually, Sunstreaker said "Molly... Has anything happened recently that's upset you?"

"Upset me?" My head shot up to stare at me. Sunstreaker winced, as though expecting me to burst out into tears again. "No! No, I'm happy! I'm super happy!" I plastered a huge smile on my face to prove my point.

"What's going on here?" A sweet voice asked suddenly.

I glanced around and saw Solstice beaming fakely at us. Automatically, I crouched closer to the twins. Thankfully, they didn't seem to notice, but Solstice narrowed her optics slightly at me. "What are you guys doing?"

"Nothing." Sunstreaker said absently, watching me as I curled up with my arms across my chassis. "You okay?" He directed at me.

I nodded and rested my head on his shoulder. "Just tired."

"You only got up a while ago." Sideswipe laughed, but then frowned. "Maybe you should see Ratchet. You might have a virus."

"I'm sure she's fine." Solstice broke in.

Both twins ignored her. "Has Ratchet scanned you recently?" Sunstreaker asked.

"He scanned me less than ten minutes ago. He's been scanning me everyday since Thursday." I said tiredly.

"What happened on Thursday?" Solstice asked, still smiling sweetly.

"He scanned me." I answered bluntly.

"Well, I know _that."_ A hint of annoyance entered her voice, but disappeared just as quick. "I meant what happened on Thursday that made him scan you everyday since then."

I buried my head in Sunstreaker's shoulder. "Do I have to answer that?" I whispered so that only he could hear.

"Leave her alone." Sunstreaker said immediately to Solstice. "She's not feeling well."

Solstice frowned, looking offended. "I was just asking a question."

I yawned absently, a human habit I still hadn't lost. "Maybe I'll just go back to bed." I muttered.

"Why?"

I shrugged and went to get up, struggling to ignore the tugging that started in my spark the moment I put space between us. Sideswipe pulled me back by the waist. "No, c'mon. It's okay. Sol didn't mean anything by it."

"Of _course_ I didn't." Solstice smiled. I scowled at her, but said nothing. She sat very purposely on Sideswipe's lap, subtly pushing my legs away from him.

Foreign feelings took over in my spark, and a small snarl made its way out of my vocaliser.

Both the twins and Solstice froze and stared at me. I was surprised at my own behaviour. "Molly...?" Sideswipe asked nervously.

:•Calm down. Now.•: Ratchet commanded through our sparkbond. It took me a moment to remember he could feel everything I felt through our bond.

:•No! She's-•:

:•It doesn't matter. Calm down. _Now_.•: he growled. :•Come to the med bay. I mean it, Molly. Please remember that these feelings are originating from the fact that you're.. _Carrying_.•: he sounded as though he had to force the word out.

Right. I struggled to calm down, before realising that sitting next to the twins wasn't helping. I pushed myself away from them and lumbered to my feet, almost staggering as I felt the urge to lunge back towards the twins. :•Coming. I'm coming.•: I managed to send Ratchet as I staggered towards the door.

"Molly?" Sunstreaker called after me as I disappeared through the door. I didn't even glance back.

-I-

"Idiot." Ratchet grunted as he shoved Wheeljack's helm.

Wheeljack winced. "I'm sorry! But it's in the name of science, and I-"

"And _you_!" Ratchet turned on me, pointing at where I was sitting on a med bay. "I thought I told you not to talk to them!"

I rubbed my chassis and shrugged. "It was... interesting."

"What did you do?" Wheeljack asked curiously.

"I growled at Solstice. And sat on the twins and was extremely clingy..." I put my hand over my face.

Wheeljack stared at me blankly from behind his battlemask. "But.. Why?"

"I didn't mean to!" I protested. "I just couldn't help it! Like right now, ever since I walked in to the med bay and you were here, I've wanted to just jump on you and-"

"Molly!" Ratchet snapped. "What she means is that she is experiencing small urges, but they will pass eventually."

Wheeljack raised his optic ridges. "I see. What is the cause of these 'urges'?"

I grinned. "Well, I'm sp-"

"_Spiffing_! She's spiffing! She's just splendid." Ratchet interrupted, whirling around in a slight panic.

Wheeljack frowned. "Uh.. Okay. So... The cause?"

"Maybe it was my _spiffy-ness_." I raised an optic ridge at my dad in a 'WTF' expression.

Wheeljack made a sound that could have been a stifled laugh, but it was hard to tell with his mouth covered. Ratchet shot him a glare and Wheeljack rolled his optics. "Come on, Ratchet. I'm not stupid."

"Stupid enough to blow up everything you try to '_invent_'." Ratchet growled. "Stay still while I reattach your lower leg."

Wheeljack's face fell slightly. "It was an accident. And I think I'm close to a breakthrough!"

I smiled slightly. "Well, that's good."

"Yes it is. But anyway, I want to know what's wrong with you."

"Nothing's wrong!" I said defensively, ignoring Ratchet's glare, "I'm fine! In fact, I'm really happy."

"Why?"

"Have you been drinking?" Ratchet asked in a growl.

"What? Of course not! Why would you ask that?"

"You're not acting like yourself." Wheeljack said, eyeing me uncertainly from where he was sitting in pain as my dad reattached his leg.

I laughed and shook my head. "I haven't drank since the twins and I inter-"

"Come with me!" Ratchet leapt up and grabbed me by the arm, pulling me firmly into his office. Once the door shut behind us, he whirled to face me. "Molly, I understand it's hard, but please control your actions."

"I'm in control of my actions." I protested.

"No, you're not. Listen sweetspark, being sparked is different to being human pregnant. I don't think you realise that you're acting differently."

I frowned and glanced down at my hands. "I guess I've been acting a bit weirdly..."

Ratchet sighed and patted my helm. "I want you to sleep in the med bay tonight."

I nodded. "Okay."

"And I think you need to spend some time with at least one of the twins, as much as it pains me to say it." He scowled furiously.

"But I already spent time with them. I growled at Solstice, remember?"

Ratchet shook his helm. "I meant spend proper time with them.. _stupid afts_... I'll organise something..."

"Okay." I said uncertainly.

"Come on." He sighed and led the way out of his office.

Wheeljack glanced up when we came back in and raised his optic ridges. "Nice conversation?"

"It was a very nice conversation, thank you." I grinned at him.

"So, are you going to tell me what-"

"You're going to stay here tonight." Ratchet interrupted him.

"What?" Wheeljack frowned.

"Your internal energon lines are more damaged than I previously thought. You will stay here until you recuperate."

Wheeljack huffed and lay back on the medical berth. "Ratchet, I feel fine!"

Ratchet didn't even glance at him. "Molly, would you come with me, please?"

I glanced confusedly at him, but followed him out of the med bay and into the hall. "Where are you going?" I asked, jogging down the hall after him.

"I'm going to get a drink." Ratchet answered. "And you're coming."

"But.. I can't drink." I frowned.

"Of course you can. It's only when the sparkling is ready to detach from your spark that you can't drink. But for now you're fine." Ratchet told me. "Also, I'm curious to see how you act when over-charged."

I stared at him, aghast. "What? Why would you want to see that?"

"Because I want to see if the twins dragged you to berth with them or if you were so out of your processor you went willingly."

I glared at him. "This is not a very fatherly thing to do."

"It's in the name of medicine."

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is."

"Dad!"

"Molly, right now I think you need a drink. It might lessen the pulling effect your spark is asserting."

"Really?" My hand went to my sparkchamber automatically.

Ratchet nodded as we walked into the rec room together. "You get a cube of high-grade off Jazz, I'm just going to talk to Ironhide for a moment."

"Dad, I still don't know if it's a good idea to drink while I'm-"

"Sweetspark, I promise you right now that I would never do anything that would endanger the life of you or my... grandchild, as I believe the humans call it."

I grinned as Ratchet smiled slightly at the thought of having a grandchild. "You'll be a great granddaddy."

Ratchet snorted, before kissing my helm. "Go and get a cube, my dear."

I did as he asked and walked over to Jazz, who was sitting by the energon. "Hey."

"Hey, Molzo! Whatcha doin'?" He grinned good naturedly.

"Not much. Can I have some energon?"

"Sure." He said, then hesitated slightly. "Is high-grade the best idea?"

"Ratchet's over there."

"Oh. Well tha's fine." Jazz handed me a cube and smiled happily. "Have fun. But no' too much fun!"

I ignored him and sat on the couch, shoving him over a bit so I had room. I took a sip and leaned back. Ratchet had been right; the tugging had lessened some thanks to the energon.

"I though' tha' yo' weren't drinkin' ever again." Jazz teased, grinning.

"Ratchet told me I had to." I grumbled, taking another drink and finishing the cube off.

Jazz passed me another one and raised his optic ridges. "Ratchet wanted you to drink? What the frag happened to him?"

I grinned excitedly. "Well, I'm sp-"

:•Molly!•:

I growled irritably. "Can I not tell anyone?" I yelled across the room to where he was talking to Ironhide.

"No! We talked about this!" He yelled back. "If you absolutely must, tell Wheeljack!"

I scowled and leaned back again, draining the energon cube. I was already drunk, I could tell. I would only have one more cube - I was determined to remember this evening by tomorrow.

"Wha' was tha' all abou'?" Jazz asked, staring bemusedly between myself and Ratchet.

"Apparently, I'm not meant to tell you." My words slurred together as I started on my third cube. I leaned forwards and dropped my voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "But you'll find out soon!"

Jazz just stared at me. "Alrigh' then." I giggled and finished the cube. He took it from me and placed it on the table. "I don' think yo' should have any more energon. We don' want a repeat of last week. Well actually, we do 'cause people have started a bettin' pool on ya, but we don' want a repeat while Solstice is here."

"Bet?" I asked confusedly.

"Yep. Don' worry abou' it, I'm so gonna win."

I laughed and tried to stand up, but ended up falling back down. "No, no. I can do it." I insisted as Jazz reached out to help me. I tried again and managed to pull myself to my feet. I grinned triumphantly at him. "See?"

"Yes I do." Jazz said dubiously.

"Holy- has she been _drinking_?" Someone appeared next to my shoulder.

I wobbled around in order to see who it was. "Sideswipe!" I grinned and threw my arms around him, resting my head on his shoulder.

Sideswipe patted my back hesitantly, glaring at Jazz. "Why did you give her high-grade?"

"She wanted some!"

"So you gave it to her?" Sideswipe sounded outraged. "She gets over-charged on a single cube!"

"Do not." I mumbled. "Was three cubes."

Sideswipe sighed. "Better bring you back to Ratchet. Slag. Where is he, the med bay?"

"He's behind you." I muttered absently, leaning in Sides' shoulder for support.

Sideswipe turned to see Ratchet standing there with his optic ridges raised. "If I were you, Sideswipe, I would unhand my daughter. Now."

Sideswipe let go of me immediately, but ended up having to catch me as I wobbled dangerously. "How about you just pick her up?"

"Hey, Siders!" I grinned excitedly all of a sudden, clinging to his shoulders. "Guess what! I'm sp-"

"Molly!" Ratchet exploded. "I think it's time to go."

"No! No!" I clutched Sideswipe's shoulder. "I won't tell!"

Sideswipe glanced between us curiously. "Uhh... Okay. Listen, Hatchet, you should go finish your chat with Ironhide. Me and Sunny'll look after Molly for a while."

Ratchet glared furiously at him. "Is that what you did the _last time_ she was over-charged?"

Sideswipe winced. "She started it."

Ratchet looked as though he was about to blow, so I stepped in front of Sideswipe. "Dad, you know if you hurt him there's more chance of it not surviving, right?"

"Of what not surviving?" Sideswipe asked curiously.

Ratchet ignored his question, "Fine. Don't touch her. Or if you do, at least break up with your idiot girlfriend first." Ratchet growled at him, before turning and storming back across the room towards Ironhide.

Sideswipe blinked, before shaking his head. "Well, that was weird."

"Where's Sunny?" I slurred my words slightly as I looked around.

"He's over there with Solstice. Maybe it's not a good idea to go over there when you're in this state-"

I whirled around to stare at him. "What do you mean 'this state'? Do you mean Solstice looks better?" My optics widened.

"What? Of course not! I just meant-"

"That's okay." I interrupted him, lowering my head. "I know what you meant."

"'Raj is over there, if ya wanna be told yo' pretty." Jazz spoke up from where he was watching the spectacle with a huge grin on his face.

I glanced over to where Mirage was, but Sideswipe tightened his arm around me before I could move. "She doesn't need him to be told she's pretty!" He growled territorially.

"You just called me a state." I said, energon tears welling up in my optics.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, _no, no_! Don't cry!" Sideswipe waved his arms around desperately. "I never meant that! That's not what I _meant!_ You're super pretty! Beautiful, in fact!"

"You're only saying that because you don't want me to cry." My lower lip plate began to wobble. It seemed that all logical and reasonable behaviour had escaped me. Clearly, sparkling hormones mixed with high-grade was a potentially disastrous mixture.

"Yeah, Sideswipe. I think yo' are." Jazz spoke up, clearly enjoying this.

Sideswipe glared at him before turning back to me and taking my hands. "Of course I'm not just saying it. I mean every word."

"How come you only tell me now? Mirage tells me everyday." I sniffled, trying to hold the tears back. Clearly, I was an emotional drunk.

Sideswipe cast a quick scowl in Mirage's direction, "Well... Umm... Because before, you were a sparkling, so it would have been strange if we had said it. And then Solstice came-"

"Are yo' sayin' she's prettier than Molly?" Jazz asked in a mock-shocked voice.

I turned to stare at Sideswipe with huge, watery (well, energon-y) optics. "Oh. Well it's okay if you think that. She's your girlfriend for a reason, I suppose." The tears started to spill over.

Sideswipe grabbed me up into a hug and glared furiously at Jazz. "No, Molly! Listen, you're beautiful! Much prettier than Solstice. But-"

"You like her better?"

"No, it's just because-"

"Because she's older?"

"No, because-"

"You've known her longer?"

"No-"

"Because she's better at fighting?"

"Molly, listen-"

"Because she-"

Sideswipe covered my mouth with his hand and shook his head. "Stop. You're wrong. About all of that. Is that really what you think?"

"It's true, isn't it?"

"No! Not at all. We're with Solstice because we were with her before Cybertron fell and we had to leave. We lost her, and when she arrived on Earth she just- well, I suppose she- I mean, we wanted to pick up where we left off."

"Oh." I mumbled. "Okay."

"Molly.." Jazz was by my side suddenly. "Do yo' want me to take yo' to yo' room?"

I shook my head. "I'm okay, thank you."

Sideswipe looked at a loss as to what to do. "Umm... Do you still want me to take you to Sunstreaker?"

I shook my helm. "I'm going to go to bed." I said, before opening the sparkbond between myself and Ratchet. :•Dad, I'm going to bed•:

:•Have Sideswipe take you to the medbay.•: was his immediate response.

I was so over-charged that I didn't even consider it strange that he wanted Sideswipe of all people to bring me to the med bay. "Sideswipe, my dad wants you to take me to bed. But I think he means my bed, not yours."

Sideswipe glanced around to stare in surprise at Ratchet, but my dad gave no sign of noticing. "Okay.."

I went to step away and almost fell over, but Sideswipe caught me. He picked me up and carried me princess-style out of the room and down the hall. Neither of us said anything, until Sideswipe arrived at my quarters. "No, I meant the med bay."

Sideswipe stared at me. "The med bay? What's wrong?"

"My dad wants me to sleep there tonight, because I'm-" I clapped my hands over my mouth. "I can't say!"

Sideswipe stared at me. And stared. Before finally saying, "Alright, then." And beginning the walk to the med bay.

Once again, we were silent until we reached it. When we were outside the door, Sideswipe gently put me on my feet. "Molly, if I hurt your feelings with what I said about Solstice, I'm sorry."

"I don't want to talk about her." I mumbled, looking at my feet.

"I'm sorry, I just- _Mmf_."

I cut him off sharply by standing on the tips of my pedes and kissing him. I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly.

It barely took half a second before he wound his arms around my waist and kissed me back. It was so easy, I was actually surprised. When I was human and I had kissed someone it had felt awkward and forced, like I didn't really want to kiss them. But here... I _wanted_ to kiss Sideswipe. And judging by the way he was reciprocating the kiss, he wanted to kiss me too. I knew that if I hadn't had high-grade I wouldn't have been brave enough to kiss him like that, but I was so glad that I did.

Sideswipe pressed me up against the wall, deepening the kiss but still managing to keep it gentle, which is something I wouldn't have expected. He lifted me slightly and I wrapped my legs around his waist to keep myself steady.

He pulled back for half a second, and I almost growled. "Molly, if you don't want to kiss me like this I don't want to force yo-"

"Shut up." I begged, reclaiming his mouth with mine and kissing him fiercely

He growled into my mouth and pushed me back into the wall. His hands rested on my waist and tightened slightly, but not uncomfortably.

:•Molly, I'm actually wary to ask you what the feelings coming from your end of the sparkbond are.•:

I didn't reply to my dad, too deeply involved in kissing Sideswipe.

A moment later, Ratchet sighed down the sparkbond. :•Fine. Just... play it safe.•:

Had I been in any other frame of mind, I would have realised that Ratchet knew exactly what we were doing, and I would have been shocked that he wasn't tearing up the corridors waving a wrench in his hand. As it was, I just about noticed what he had said.

"You're beautiful." Sideswipe mumbled into my mouth, running his hands up and down my waist.

"Having fun?"

Sideswipe almost dropped me in shock as we broke apart to see Wheeljack standing in the doorway of the med bay with his arms crossed over his chassis, which was still dented and scorched from the explosion earlier.

"Oh. Hey 'Jackie." I grinned weakly.

Wheeljack's optics narrowed at me as he stepped aside to let us into the med bay. Sideswipe grinned sheepishly at him as he led me inside. "So.. How's it going?"

"Can you not kiss her when she's sober?" Wheeljack sighed, pointing out the berth I was to sleep on. "Same goes for interfacing, by the way."

Sideswipe stared at him as I climbed onto the berth. "How did you know about-"

"Jazz told me." Wheeljack rolled his optics. "But seriously."

"She started it." Sideswipe sat next to me on the berth and put his head in his hands. "Have you ever been kissed by her? Primus, you can't just _stop_! It's- she's- I can't-"

Wheeljack shook his helm. "Ratchet wants to know if you're staying with her here tonight."

Sideswipe blinked. "He- what? You mean he'd let me?"

Wheeljack shrugged. "He let you shove her up against a wall and ravage her, didn't he?"

"Ravage-? _No_! He didn't know that- oh Primus, _please_ tell me he didn't know that-"

"He did. You _do_ realise that he feels everything Molly does through their sparkbond. He wouldn't have felt what she felt when you were interfacing, because the bond would have been confused due to so much high-grade, but I'm sure he felt what she was feeling just now loud and clear."

"That's embarrassing." I mumbled, resting my head on Sideswipe's shoulder.

"Maybe I should just leave." Sideswipe went to stand up, but I clung onto him and stared at him with huge optics. "I'm sorry Molly, but-"

"Ratchet says it would be good for her if you stay." Wheeljack inserted, clearly talking with my dad through a private comm. link.

"Good for her? How?" Sideswipe frowned.

"Please?" I whispered.

"I just don't understand why Ratchet would _willingly_ allow me to recharge near his daughter." Sideswipe said, clearly confused.

"I used to recharge with you all the time before Solstice came." I murmured, letting go of him and laying down on the berth, turning my back to him.

A guilty look crossed Sideswipe's face, but Wheeljack spoke before him. "Well, he instructed me to keep a close optic on you, and if you tried anything during the night to- well, it's a gruesome threat that I'd rather not repeat in front of a femme."

Sideswipe hesitated, glancing between my back and Wheeljack. "All right." He said at last.

Wheeljack nodded. "Good. By the way, Ratchet warned not to go as far as interfacing. _As far as_. He did _not_ say 'do not kiss passionately and lovingly in the berth under any circumstances'."

Sideswipe's optics widened a bit. "Seriously?"

"As long as you aren't as loud as you were in the hall." Wheeljack grouched, turning off the lights and laying down on his berth. "Don't wake me up."

Sideswipe grinned and lay down next me. "Molly? C'mon, why are you mad? Don't turn your back on me, please?"

I turned around to look at him. "I'm not mad."

"I'm sorry we haven't spent much time together since Solstice arrived."

"I said I didn't want to talk about her." I muttered.

"I know. I'm hoping that if I keep talking about her you'll kiss me again."

I giggled. "Why don't you kiss me this time, for a change?"

Sideswipe laughed quietly before lowering his head to mine and catching my lips. If I haven't mentioned it before, kissing with metal lips is the strangest feeling. Not that I'm complaining.

I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly, and kissed him back passionately. There was no wall for him to press me into this time, so I crawled on top of him and straddled his hips without breaking the kiss. A sense of peace radiated from my spark, and I guessed that the sparkling was happy that Sideswipe's spark and my spark were so close together.

Sideswipe reached up around me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me even closer to him. "You know," he broke the kiss suddenly, "I think this is wrong. Isn't it called cheating?"

"Hmm?" I asked vaguely, kissing down his neck cables. When Ratchet told me I'd be hormonal, he wasn't kidding.

"Aren't I- ah.. Isn't this.. Cheating?" He managed to ground out as I bit on one of the cables in his neck.

"You don't want to?" I drew back from him, as hard as it was with the tugging from the sparkling.

Sideswipe looked confused. "I do, it's just-"

I didn't hear the end of his sentence; the minute he said he wanted to I was back at his neck, kissing and biting gently.

"Primus, Molly. Do you realise how hard you are to argue with?" He groaned, pulling me back up so he could kiss me.

I giggled into his mouth and bit his lower mouth component gently. "Sorry."

"Didn't say I didn't like it." He grunted, pulling back from my mouth and kissing my neck.

"Shut up. And no interfacing!" Wheeljack growled from across the room.

Sideswipe growled in return, his Kaonian programming clearly coming out for a moment. I pulled his helm up so I could kiss him again.

:• Molly?•: Sunstreaker's voice echoed down a private comm. link. :•Do you know where Sideswipe is? He won't answer me through the bond and Solstice is going mental trying to find him. I'm getting weird feelings from the sparkbond, too.•:

"Sunny's looking for you." I mumbled into Sideswipe's mouth.

"Mmmm.. I know." He said in between kisses.

"Solstice wants you." I pulled back very slightly, our nasal ridges still touching.

"Well, she'll have to wait. I'm busy." He began kissing up and down my neck, making his way to my face and kissing my cheeks, forehead, nasal ridge and lastly, my lips.

I grinned against his mouth as he rolled with me on the berth and came out on top. He kissed my neck again and suckled gently on one of the cables there.

I wrapped my legs around my waist and my arms around his neck. For now, I was perfectly content, and I refused to wonder how this would affect us in the morning.

**Sorry about the fact that stuff like this only happens when she's over-charged :L before you ask, no they don't interface :) review pleeeaaassseeee! I live off them :D Sorry, I'm really hyper 'cause me and my brother just watched Brother Bear and got really sad and so ate so much sugar to try and cheer ourselves up... it was a bad idea**


	27. Chapter 27

**HAPPY APOCALYPSE DAY!**

**Haha :P have a good day. The end is nigh! :P in all honesty, how many times was the world supposed to end this year? It's getting ridiculous. **

**Anyway, story time!**

The sound of a door closing woke me up the next morning, and I onlined my optics to see Sideswipe's chassis. Energon rushed to my cheeks as I recalled what had happened the night before. At least I could remember, I supposed. And honestly, I didn't regret a second of it. "Sideswipe? Are you awake?" I whispered, prodding his chassis.

He sighed and tightened his grip around me. "Yes. I'm awake."

I rested my head against his chassis and tried to come up with something to say. "Sleep well?" I asked at last.

Sideswipe snorted slightly, and then looked down at me intently. "Um... Do you remember last night?"

I grinned at him. "Every minute. And I don't regret it." I kissed his nasal ridge gently, then laid my head down on his shoulder.

"Thank Primus." I heard him mutter quietly.

"Okay, that's enough." My dad announced grouchily as he stalked out of his office. It must have been him that woke me up.

Sideswipe almost leapt out of the berth upon seeing Ratchet. "Slag, I-"

"Oh calm down, you half-bit." Ratchet snapped. "If I was going to offline you I would have done so already. Thank you very much for your help."

"What help?" Sideswipe frowned.

"Well, I needed either you or Sunstreaker to spend the night with her, and if I had asked you you wouldn't have done it."

"You set us up?" I sat up in shock.

"You were taking too long." My dad said grumpily. "I just helped. You didn't interface, did you?"

"Recently? No." Sideswipe scowled. "We just.. Umm.."

"I believe the term you are looking for is 'heavy petting'." Ratchet said sharply.

"Ewww... Dad." Energon rushed to my face.

"How come you haven't killed me yet?" Sideswipe asked, bewildered.

Ratchet glared at him. "It's not like I haven't thought about it."

"Why did one of us have to stay with Molly?"

"Can't say." Ratchet said, cleaning some of his tools. "But I dare say that she will be fine until.. Maybe tomorrow. In which case one of you will have to stay again."

"But why?"

"If you don't want to she can just die."

"What?" Sideswipe yelped. "If we don't 'face her she'll die?"

"I said nothing about interfacing!" Ratchet yelled, whirling around with a wrench aloft. "That's how you got into this situation in the first place, slag-for-brains! I just need you to spend some time with her."

Sideswipe blinked. "Okay. You could have just asked. Does that mean we can't interface with her?"

Ratchet growled dangerously. "You have a girlfriend, Sideswipe. When are you sparkbonding?"

Sideswipe jerked back, looking shocked. "Bondi- Who said anything about bonding?"

Ratchet hesitated. "Never mind."

I sighed and swung my legs off the berth. "Can I just tell him?"

"When they are no longer with Solstice you may tell them. Now stand up so I can scan you." He told me firmly. I did as he asked and remained still as he ran the scanner down the length of my body.

"Is she sick?" Sideswipe asked worriedly.

"No." Ratchet said shortly. "Although she may be in a few moments. Are you alright?"

"I was fine a minute ago." I managed to say. Since I had stood up, it felt as though the energon in my tanks was roiling. "I think I'm going to-"

Ratchet passed me a bucket before I finished my sentence, and I purged the energon into it. Sideswipe was beside me in a second, rubbing my back worriedly. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"It will pass." Ratchet said calmly. "Give it a moment."

"Ewww." I raised my head from the bucket. Ratchet took it off me and carried it out of sight into his office.

"What happened? You were fine a second ago!" Sideswipe panicked.

"I'm fine. I want to tell you, but.." I shrugged.

"Not until we break up with Solstice." Sideswipe finished with a sigh. "Molly.. Sunny and I have known Sol for millennia. It's not that easy to just go 'Sorry, not interested anymore. See ya!'"

He had a point, I supposed. I sat back down on the berth. "I'm not trying to make you do anything you don't want to do, Sides. But maybe you'll remember that you don't want to break up with Solstice next time something like last night happens again."

"Molly." Sideswipe winced and placed his hands on my hips. "I'm sorry. But.. It's just that it's a difficult situation. Please understand."

I just looked at him and crossed my arms.

He sighed and closed his optics, before leaning his helm on my forehead. "We'll work something out. I promise."

I sighed and rested my head back on his. "Okay."

"Moll- Sideswipe, hands off." Ratchet growled as he came back into the room. "Molly, you're going to be late for school."

Sideswipe pulled back and raised an optic ridge. "I can bring her."

I nodded and activated my holoform; the first time I had done so since I had found out I was sparked. Now human-sized, I looked up to Sideswipe. "I'm ready to go."

- }I{ -

My holoform had a baby bump.

I realised this as Sideswipe pulled into the school. My first thought was 'Damn, did my holoform get fat?'. Then I realised what it was and felt depressed the minute I remembered the last time I'd had a baby bump. Then I panicked slightly; what if people at school noticed?

"You okay there?" Sideswipe asked through the radio.

"What? Oh, yeah. Fine." I said quickly.

"You looked scared."

"I'm fine." I assured him. My hand drifted to my stomach. It made sense, I supposed. After all, Ratchet always said that holoforms were literal projections of our beings. So if I was sparked, it sort of made sense that my human projection would be the human equivalent of Cybertronian sparked - pregnant. "I'd better get going."

"Oh. Yeah. I'll see you later, I guess."

I nodded, grabbing my bag and opening the door. "See you, Sides." I shut the door and headed towards the school door. The baby bump wasn't very obvious (it just looked as though I had eaten a big meal), but I was extremely aware of it. I walked down the halls quickly, avoiding people as best as I could on the way to the classroom.

When I arrived at the classroom Simon, Elliott and Annabelle were already sitting around the table they always sat at. Annabelle glanced up and grinned when I came in. "Hey! Thought you were dead or something! Where've you been the past few days?"

"Umm.. Sick?" I smiled awkwardly.

"Is that a question?" Simon asked sarcastically.

I shoved his head as I walked past and sat down next to Annabelle. "No. I was sick."

"Poor you." Annabelle said sympathetically as the teacher walked in. Once the teacher began calling the roll, Annabelle leaned in and lowered her voice. "What was really wrong?"

I smiled slightly at her. "Family issues."

"Twins?" She guessed.

I just nodded. "Ask Ironhide. I'm sure he'd be delighted to tell you all about it."

Annabelle raised an eyebrow, and went to turn back to face the teacher, but stopped dead when she noticed my hand on my stomach. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." I whispered back, my hand falling away quickly.

Her eyes widened and she turned her expressive gaze on me. "No way!"

"Shhh!" I glanced automatically at Simon and Elliott, who were paying express attention to the teacher as she started talking about how to wire a plug correctly. "Annabelle-"

"No! Oh my god! No way!" She was practically jumping in her seat. "Holy shit! I didn't even know that was possible for giant-ass alien robots!"

"My ass is NOT giant!"

Annabelle simply ignored me. "Ohhhh my god! Who was it? The twins? It was the twins, wasn't it? Whoa. So was that like a threesome? Kinky."

"Ugh." I knotted my finger in my holoforms hair, "Annie, I don't remember it. I was over-char- I mean drunk."

"Drunk? Seriously. Holy crap. You had drunken sex and now you're preggers."

Simon and Elliott turned in their seats to look at us curiously. I forced a grin and shook my head at them. "She's joking!" I whispered. They glanced at each other hesitantly before turning back around in their seats.

Annabelle was still gaping at me. "What the fuck did the twins say?"

I scratched my head. "Ummm... During the 'drunken sex' part, or-"

"No, you idiot!" Annabelle smacked my arm with a grin. "I can imagine what they said during that part. I meant what did they say when they found out about the baby!"

"Oh. Um.. Not much, considering I haven't told them yet." I admitted sheepishly.

Annabelle gaped at me. "You-? What? You haven't told them?! Why the hell not?" She hissed.

"Shhh!" I insisted, glancing around, "They're still with Solstice."

"Solstice..." Annabelle frowned for a moment, before her eyes lit up, "The blue and green chick that looks like a giant in a bad Power Rangers costume?"

I snorted. "That's her."

Annabelle made a 'pfft' sound. "That is one girl that tries too hard. She won't last, don't worry."

I leaned back in my chair and rested my hands on my stomach. "The thing is... I think she will. She's asking them to sparkbond with her..."

Annabelle was silent for a long moment. "Oh."

"Do you know what that means..?"

"Yeah. Yeah, Ironhide explained it to me when I asked what was with him and Chromia." Annabelle said quietly, pursing her lips. "But... They could always say no, right?"

I sighed, drumming my fingers over my tiny stomach bump. "They could, if they wanted to. But.. I think the fact that they're still with her says something. And this morning, Sideswipe said that it was a difficult situation because they had known each other for millennia. He said we'd work something out, but..." I trailed off awkwardly.

Annabelle patted my hand reassuringly, before raising an eyebrow. "This morning, huh? Does that mean he was with you last night?"

I shoved her and grinned. "Maybe. Nothing happened."

"Nothing?" Annabelle pressed, grinning.

"Well." I grinned, "Maybe not nothing. I think my dad called it 'heavy petting'."

Annabelle dug a dictionary out of her bag. "Hang on..." She began flipping through the pages, "Ah, here it is. 'Heavy petting: erotic contact between two people stopping just short of intercourse- ew. Your dad said that?!"

I wrinkled my nose. "Gross. I guess my dad did know what he was talking about."

Annabelle smirked and gently prodded my stomach. "I guess the damage has been done already, right? So now you can do whatever you want with the twins."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Hardly. They're with Sols-"

"So?!" Annabelle waved me off before I could even finish my sentence. "They're your baby daddies! You so have one up on her!"

"Ladies," the sharp voice of the teacher called down to us sharply. "If you have something to say, you can share it with the whole class."

"Molly slept with two gigantic alien robots and now she's pregnant with their alien spawn. It's gestating within her right now." Annabelle answered promptly with barely a pause.

The teacher glared furiously at her and pointed at the door. "Principals office. Now."

Annabelle sighed and stood up. "Even when you tell the truth.." She walked out the door, still shaking her head.

I covered my face in mortification. The teacher crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at me. "Molly. Anything to add?"

"No." I mumbled, my voice muffled from behind my hands.

"What was that?"

"No, miss!"

"Good. You can visit the principal too."

I sighed heavily and stood, before making my way to the door. I was going to kill Annabelle. I walked to the principals office and held back another sigh when I saw Annabelle sitting outside the door and grinning at me. "Annabelle... What were you thinking?"

She shrugged. "I think it's funny how its true but people think you're lying."

I rubbed my face as I sat down next to her. "He's not going to call our parents, is he?"

"He sure is." Annabelle said cheerfully. "My mom's gonna kill me. This is the third time this week."

"It's only Tuesday."

"Precisely."

I laughed just as the door to the principals office opened and Mr Burke stepped out. He glanced at us and saw Annabelle, then frowned. "Ms Lennox... What is it this time?"

"Mrs Hess." Annabelle shrugged.

Mr Burke scowled. "That woman. Come on in, girls."

I glanced at Annabelle uncertainly, but followed her inside nonetheless. The office was small and almost unbearably warm, but comfortable. Annabelle and I sat down in the chairs in front of Mr Burke's desk, which was cluttered with papers and teddy bear statuettes.

Mr Burke interlocked his fingers as he leaned across the desk towards us. "Now, Annabelle. What have you done this time?"

Annabelle shrugged sheepishly. "Me and Molly were talking, very quietly, and Mrs Hess told us to share our conversation with the entire class. I did, and she wasn't impressed with what we were talking about so she told us to see you."

Mr Burke looked as though he were about to ask what we had been talking about, but then changed his mind. "You know I'm going to have to call your mother, Annabelle."

Annabelle sighed. "Yeah, I know. It's fine, Jonathan."

Mr Burke rubbed his forehead. "Annabelle... It's Mr Burke, to you."

Annabelle rolled her eyes, then clapped me on the shoulder. "What about Molly here? It wasn't her fault, really."

Mr Burke sighed. "I'm sorry, Molly. I'm afraid I have to call your parents, also."

I winced slightly. Oh dear. "Um.. Okay."

He smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry. Annabelle, wait outside. I'll call your mother later - I have her on speed dial."

Annabelle grinned sheepishly and got up. "See you later, Johnny."

Mr Burke gave her a stern look that was marred by his wry smile, and then turned to me as she left. "Now, I need your parents number."

"Right.." I was so slagged. Unless... Thinking quickly, I gave him Sideswipe's communicator number.

Mr Burke pressed call and waited as the phone rang.

"Uh.. Hello?" Came Sideswipe's voice from the other end of the phone.

"Hello, is this Molly's father? I have her with me in my office. This is Mr Burke."

Sideswipe barely missed a beat. "Ah, hello. Can I help you? Is Molly alright?"

Mr Burke pushed his glasses up his nose. "Yes, yes, she's fine. A teacher, Mrs Hess, sent her to me as she was talking inappropriately in class."

I could have hit Sides as he snickered down the line. "Talking inappropriately? What was she saying?"

"Ah.. I don't know. Perhaps that is something you should ask your daughter."

"My- oh, my daughter! Yes, of course. Uh.. I'll be at the school in.. Lets say three minutes?"

Mr Burke hesitated. "Well.. I don't know if there's any need for you to-"

"It's okay, I'm outside." Sideswipe announced cheerfully.

Mr Burke turned his head to look outside, and his eyes widened hugely when he caught sight of the cherry red Lamborghini pulling into the school parking lot. "Oh my.."

A good looking man a few years older looking than the Sideswipe's holoform I was used to stepped out of the car and headed for the main building.

I leaned back my chair and subconsciously rested my hands on my stomach. A moment later, the door to the office opened and Sideswipe's holo walked in, grinning. "Good morning. Lovely day, isn't it?"

"Yes, of course. Please, sit down Mr Lennox." Mr Burke looked flustered.

Sideswipe nodded and took a seat next to me. He rolled his head around on his neck so he could look at me. "Hey, kiddo." He raised an eyebrow. "What's this I hear about inappropriate talk in class?"

"We weren't talking inappropri-"

"Who's 'we'?" Sideswipe asked sharply, sitting up.

"Annabelle."

Sideswipe relaxed back slightly. "Okay."

There was another knock on the office door, and Mrs Hess poked her head in and glared at me. Mr Burke sighed and stood. "Excuse me, please. I'll be back in a moment."

We nodded as he walked out. The minute the door had shut behind him, Sideswipe turned to me. "Seriously, what did you do? Ratchet's gonna kill me!"

"Why would he kill you?"

"Because I influenced this behaviour!"

"Sides.." I shook my head, barely fighting a grin, "I love the holoform."

That distracted him immediately. He stretched out his arms and looked down at himself, grinning. "Thanks. I made it more mature so I could pass as a daddy."

"You could be a dad anyway." I said automatically.

Sideswipe laughed and shrugged. "I like yours, too. Can I kiss you?" He leaned in and smiled.

I shook my head no.

"Why not?" Sideswipe frowned.

"Because we're in my principals office and he could walk in at any minute and you're pretending to be my father!"

"And?"

"Is that not reason enough?" I shook my head. "Also because I refuse to kiss, hug, or do anything else with you for now."

"Because I'm with Sol?" Sideswipe sounded tired now.

"Yes. It's only right, Sideswipe. Why would I kiss you if you're with someone else?"

"I thought you liked me and Sunny."

"I do, Sides." I sighed. "But I'm not going to make you cheat on Solstice. As much as I don't like her-"

"Molly, are you not cheating on Mirage?"

"What? Of course not! I'm not with Mirage!"

Sideswipe folded his arms. "Oh, really?"

"Yes! Really! He's asked me out on several occasions and I've said no, because of you!" I hissed furiously, keeping my voice low so that the teachers outside couldn't hear.

"Because of me?" Sideswipe sounded outraged.

"Yes! Because of you and your twin! I could've gone out with him and been happy, but then you two had to fragging interface me!"

"Oh, you enjoyed it!" Sideswipe hissed back.

I covered my face with my palm. "Not the point!"

"Well, why wasn't it Mirage that Ratchet allowed to stay with you last night?"

"Because it wasn't Mirage I needed! It's you and Sunny that I need, but you can't be there for me because you're with Solstice!"

Sideswipe opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment Mr Burke walked in. The principal took in the tense silence and tight lips with a raised brow, before reclaiming his seat at his desk. "Well, Mrs Hess just informed me of what Molly and Annabelle were talking about. Apparently, Molly and Annabelle were causing a disturbance with their loud talking-"

"We weren't being loud!" I protested immediately, but Mr Burke gave no sign of hearing me.

"-and when Mrs Hess asked what they were discussing, Annabelle informed her that Molly had had sex with two giant alien robots and that-"

"What?" Sideswipe stared incredulously at him.

"Ah.. Annabelle has a rather active imagination, as I'm sure you know, being her uncle."

Sideswipe stared blankly at him. "Yes.. uncle... She told the whole class that? That Molly 'had sex' with two giant alien robots."

Mr Burke nodded, clearly getting increasingly flustered. "Yes she, ah, also said that 'alien spawn' was gestating within her at this moment."

Sideswipe stared at him. "What-?"

"It was all a joke, of course. It's just that Mrs Hess is prone to over exaggeration, and Annabelle is very fond of winding her up." Mr Burke said quickly. "There was no harm in it. Well, that's all. As long as there's nothing else to add."

"No. No, I think that's fine." Sideswipe stood, staring down at me. "I'm going to take Molly home now."

"Of course." Mr Burke nodded and waved us out if his office.

Annabelle was sitting outside the office, and she raised her head and grinned when she saw me and Sideswipe walk out. "Well?"

"Alien spawn gestating within her?" Sideswipe frowned at her.

She glanced at me quickly, then back to him. "Oh. Yeah, 'Hide gave me the idea. He was talking about sparkles the other day-"

"Sparklings." I corrected her.

"Right. That's where I got the idea. Ironhide was explaining it to me and-"

"Ironhide explained sparklings to you?" Sideswipe gaped at her.

Annabelle grinned lecherously. "Every bit. And Molly told me about-"

"See you tomorrow Annabelle!" I said loudly, tugging Sideswipe away.

"You told her?" He asked, clearly shocked as we made our way outside.

"Yes, I did." I said irritably, "She's my friend. I didn't know it was some big secret."

Sideswipe frowned, "I never said it was."

"Great." I slid into his alt mode and relaxed. Sideswipe's holoform dissipated in a shower of sparks.

There was silence for a moment as Sideswipe gunned his engine and took off down the road. "What did you mean when you said that you needed me and Sunny?" He asked at last as we turned into the groundbridge alleyway.

"I meant that I wanted you and Sunny, not Mirage." I rubbed my face as the groundbridge opened. "But hey, if Mirage is interested then there's no point in waiting for you two forever." The was a sharp pull in my spark when I said that, as if the sparkling was trying to get closer to its creator.

"Well, why don't you ask him to frag you then?" Sideswipe demanded as he speeded into Wheeljacks's lab and out of it just as fast. "I'm sure he wouldn't have a problem with staying the night with you either."

I clenched my fists. "It was always you, Sideswipe! It was always you and Sunny! And it probably always will be, too!" I yelled angrily as he sped into the main hangar.

He did a sharp turn and stopped, his doors flying open. "Go find Mirage." He said shortly.

I jumped out and slammed his door closed hard, before deactivating my holoform and growing to my normal size. "If that's what'll make you happy, I will." I said calmly, regaining control of my temper and walking away.

I could feel his gaze on my back, but he said nothing. I kept walking until I reached the rec. room and made my way inside. It was busy enough for the time of day, and Mirage was sitting on one of the couches, drinking a cube of energon and chatting to Jazz. I made my way over to him immediately and practically threw myself on the couch next to him. I curled up and buried my face in his shoulder.

"Molly?" Mirage touched the top of my helm softly.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled into his shoulder joint.

"For what, my dear?"

"For being rude to you yesterday."

There was silence for a moment, before he pulled me up gently to face him. "Molly... Are you alright?"

"Fine." I forced a smile, ignoring the fact that Jazz was watching my every move intently. "I was thinking we could go somewhere."

Mirage tilted his helm. "I heard of an interesting human tradition. The people go on romantic appointments known as 'dates'. Would you like to do that?"

I smiled a tiny, real smile and nodded. "I'd love to."

Mirage nodded and stood up. "I'll tell Ratchet. Wait here for me."

I nodded as he walked away. The minute he was gone, Jazz leapt on me. "The frag was tha'?" He demanded.

I yelped and tried to push him off, but he wouldn't budge. "What do you mean?"

"Yo' goin' out wi'h Mirage. Wha' happened to the twins?"

"Sideswipe's being a jerk." I scowled. "And plus, I'm not doing anything until they're not with Solstice."

"Seems fair. Wha' did Siders do tha' slagged you off?"

I sent him the memory file rather than explain the whole thing. His visor went dark as he watched it, then brightened slightly when he finished.

"I see.." He said slowly. "Aft head. I don' think he understands wha' yo' tryin' to say to him."

I stared at him. "Okay.. So, you're joking? I think it's actually very clear what I was trying to say to him."

Jazz shook his helm. "Think o' the twins like babies. Giant, retarded babies. Ya gotta tell 'em exactly what you mean, otherwise they ain't gonna understand." He rubbed his visor absently. "I think Sideswipe thinks yo' messin' wi'h him."

"Messing with him?" I stared at him blankly. "But-"

"I know." He rubbed my back struts gently. "It prob'ly doesn' seem like it, but they've been let down more times in their lives than I can count. I think Solstice might've been the firs' serious relationship they've ever had. It's on'y natural tha' they're gonna hold into it for as long as they can, even if we don' like it."

I leaned into Jazz and curled up. "Yeah... Guess so. You're the best big brother ever, Jazz."

Jazz laughed and pulled me into a hug. "I know." He looped his arms around me.

"I just wish they'd realise that I..." I trailed off, my hands rubbing my spark chamber nervously.

Jazz nodded and began to say something, before catching sight of my spark chamber. "Molzo... Was yo' spark chamber always tha' swollen?"

My hands stilled as I looked up at him. "Ummm... No."

"Yo'..." Jazz trailed off, his visor staring fixedly at my chassis. "No way."

"Umm... Jazz?" I asked nervously as he leapt off the couch. "Where are you going?"

"I'm goin' Twin Huntin'! An' I'm gonna kill me some twins!" He yelled back as he darted out the door.

"Oh good, I was worried you'd do something stupid!" I leapt to my feet and followed him out the door, ignoring the bemused stares I got from other 'bots in the rec. room. I ran down the hall just in time to see Jazz slipping around the corner. "Jazz, wait! Please! Can I at least explain?!"

"Explain."

I shrieked as Jazz dropped from the ceiling and onto the floor behind me. "Primus- how did you even get up there?"

"Explain." Jazz repeated.

"Okay, well.. I'm.." I twiddled my fingers awkwardly. "Okay, so it all happened last Tuesday, as you know..."

Jazz nodded. "Go on."

"Umm.. Well, Ratchet scanned me on Thursday after the whole crying incident, and told me I was.. Sparked."

"Doc-bot knows? An' the twins are functioning?" Jazz stared at me incredulously.

"If he hurt them, the sparkling would die. And I might die with it." I pressed my hands to my spark chamber.

Jazz's visor darkened and he stepped forwards to wrap me in a hug. "It's okay, li'l lady.. I guess this explains the weird behaviour. The unbonded sparked femmes back on Cybertron used to 'face anyone willing, which was great by the way, but they did it so much tha' someone had to go ev'rywhere wi'h them jus' to make sure they didn' frag a stranger. Hang on," Jazz stepped back from the hug and stared at me. "You don' feel like tha', do ya?"

"Sometimes." I admitted. "Mostly when I'm near the twins, unless I'm right next to them."

Jazz nodded, before shaking his head. "In tha' case, yo' not allowed go on a date wi'h 'Raj."

"What? Yes I am."

"No. I'm no' allowin' it." Jazz folded his arms.

"Jazz.. That's really sweet, but seriously-"

"No." Jazz said abruptly, before grabbing my arm and pulling me firmly down the hall. I started when I realised he was leading me to the twins' room.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at him as he knocked firmly on the door. I tried to pull my arm out of his grip, but he held on tight.

The door slid open and Sideswipe blinked at us. "What-?"

Jazz pushed me inside and shut the door firmly behind us. "Hey, Siders. Hey, Sunshine."

"Don't call me that."

Jazz didn't bother saying hello to Solstice. "I need help in convincin' Molly o' somethin'."

Sunstreaker snorted. "If anything we say would make a difference to her opinions, we would-"

"Convince her not to go out with Mirage tonight." Jazz pushed me forwards.

Sunstreaker blinked. "What?"

Sideswipe just scowled. "She can do whatever she wants."

I glared back at him. "Thanks. See, Jazz?" I went to step past him, but he grabbed my arm.

Tiny snarls from the twins caused him to drop it quickly, but he kept talking. "It's not good fo' yo'! Random interfacin'-"

"Oh my god, Jazz! I never said I would randomly interface anybody!" I turned to face him frustratedly.

"I'm guessin' they don' know wha' yo' told me!" Jazz pointed a finger irately at the twins. "'Cause I don' think they'd be sittin' so pit-damned placidly if they did!"

"Mirage didn't hurt you, did he?" Solstice looked horrified, but I couldn't tell whether she was pretending or not.

The twins seemed to puff out in anger, and I shook my head quickly. "No! Of course not-"

"Did yo' know tha' Molly is-"

I lunged at Jazz and tackled him to the ground. He yelped and struggled as I pressed my hand over his mouth. "Jazz! Shut up!" I hissed, sitting on his chassis to prevent him from getting up even as he struggled.

Sunstreaker's optics had darkened in colour, and he raised an optic ridge. "Is it bad that that was kind of hot?"

Both myself and Solstice glared at him. "Shut up." I said, before turning my attention back to Jazz. "That was mean!"

Jazz said something, but it was muffled behind my hand. I removed my hand from his mouth very slightly, ensuring it was close enough so that I could shut him up if he started to speak about sparklings or anything. "I'm gonna kill them."

"Jazz-"

"If Ratchet won't, I will!" Jazz tried to push me off, but I leaned down on him with my knees. "Molly! Get off!"

"There's a reason he won't! Come on, Jazz! Please!"

Jazz's visor glared at me. "Molly-"

"Jazz. What is it you are doing this time?"

We all turned at the same time to see Prowl standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and his doorwings sticking straight up.

"Oh. Hey Prowler." Jazz's body slumped as he scowled.

Prowl vented a sigh, but said nothing about the nickname. "If you are finished stressing Molly, I think it is time to-"

"I'm no' stressin' her!"

Prowl narrowed his optics. "Yes, you are. A Cybertronian in her condition should not be stressed, as you know." I gaped at him. He knew? How the frag did he know?! Prowl moved over to me and lifted me gently but firmly off of Jazz. "I think you should relax, Molly."

Sideswipe snorted. "Did I just hear Prowl telling someone to relax?"

Prowl actually ignored him. "Are you okay to stand?"

"Of course." I said irritably, struggling to my feet. "I've been walking around all day, haven't I?"

"My apologies. It has been quite some time since... Well. There are certain things you miss about your home planet once you have been gone long enough." Prowl set me down, more gentle than I would have ever thought, before turning to Jazz. "We need to have a talk."

Jazz slumped, but he took a defiant pose. "I wasn' doin' nothin'!"

"Well, if you were not doing nothing, then that means you must have been doing something. Come with me." Prowl said firmly.

Jazz shook his head, before beginning to follow Prowl out.

:•Jazzie?•:

He turned his head to look at me when he received my comm. :•Yeah, Molzo?•:

:•I don't think Prowl realises what you mean when you talk to him. I think you need to tell him exactly what you mean, otherwise he won't understand.•:

Jazz snorted loudly. "Usin' my own words against me, huh?" He grinned at me. "Maybe I will."

I waved as he left with Prowl. I turned back around, ready to say goodbye to the twins, and squeaked when I found Solstice about three inches away from my face. "The frag-?"

"Now, now." Solstice frowned. "That's hardly appropriate language for a youngling."

"She's not a youngling." Sunstreaker rolled his optics.

"Close enough." Solstice eyed me. Thankfully, her optics simply slipped over my chassis. It wasn't all that obvious yet. "I think you should go out with Mirage."

I blinked at her. "Um.. Yeah. I was going to anyway, so... You're kinda invading my personal space."

Solstice leaned in and dropped her voice to a whisper. "That's what Mirage will be doing tonight. But, I'm sure you won't mind when he does it. I just wanted to say nicely done. When I told you to keep away from my twins, I didn't actually expect you to."

Anger rose in my spark the minute she said 'my twins'. They were not hers, they were mine. Even if they were total aft heads.

"Uhh... What are you two talking about?" Sideswipe called over.

"Femme stuff!" Solstice called sweetly over her shoulder, before turning back. "I don't know what Jazz and Prowl were talking about, and I don't really care as long as it doesn't affect me and the twins. So look - you're going to go out with Mirage tonight and forget about the twins. They're not interested in you anyway. You're barely out of younglinghood, for Primus' sake! Why would they want you when they have me?"

Energon tears filled up in my optics as I realised she was right. Of course they would prefer her, she was a grown femme! She suited them perfectly. I knew that it was the sparkling causing me to be so emotional, so I tried to fight the tears away.

But Solstice refused to stop there. "They like you, sure, but only as a tool. Who else will fix their injuries without hitting them over the head with a wrench like you do?" She smirked at me. "Look, if I were you, I'd go out and have fun with Mirage. After all, he's not going to hang around. You should 'face him quickly, before he loses interest. Primus knows, you need it."

I glared at her as a single tear spilled over. "I don't think I need it as much as you think."

She laughed - a shrill, fake noise. Her voice dropped again once she spoke to me. "Oh, you do. Maybe you should look for Barricade. He seemed eager enough to give you some-"

I slapped her.

I would regret it later, I knew it, but my hand had struck her right across the faceplates before I could even think about what I was doing. More tears streamed down my face as I glared at her. "You bitch!"

"Molly!" Sunstreaker grabbed me and pulled me away as Sideswipe went to Solstice. "What the frag-"

I yanked myself out of his arms and glared at Solstice. "Has anyone ever told you that you'd make a great Decepticon?"

She glared back at me. "After a slap like that, I'm thinking the same thing about you."

I growled furiously, but Sunstreaker restrained my arms so I couldn't lunge at her. "Go to hell."

"I've been there."

"Were you born there?" I shot back.

"Molly! What the slag is the matter with you?" Sideswipe stared at me from where he was standing next to Solstice.

Solstice shrugged. "We were just having a conversation and she turned and hit me."

I snarled in frustration as Sunstreaker held me still.

:•Molly, what-•: Ratchet's voice echoed over our sparkbond.

:•I am going to kill that thing!•:

:•What happ-•:

:•Nothing•: I closed off the bond and yanked myself out of Sunstreaker's arms. "Have fun with your girlfriend." I snapped at them as I left the room. I commed Mirage as I walked down the halls blindly and arranged to meet with him in Wheeljack's lab.

I growled in annoyance, before pushing my emotions down and walking into Wheeljack's lab. Mirage was standing by the groundbridge, talking to Wheeljack about something. He glanced around and smiled when I entered. "Hello."

I took a calming cycle of air and smiled. "Hey, Mirage."

"Wheeljack is here too." 'Jackie put in.

Mirage grinned at him, before stretching his arm out to take my hand. "Are you ready to go?"

I nodded and took his outstretched hand. There was a strange buzzing sound, and I glanced around to see Wheeljack fiddling with something in his hand. "What's that?"

"Nothing!" Wheeljack straightened up.

I narrowed my optics at him. "Wheeljack-"

"Enjoy yourselves!" He shoved Mirage and I into the groundbridge.

I stumbled as we exited the groundbridge, but Mirage managed to stay perfectly poised. "It was a tiny video camera, wasn't it?" I raised an optic ridge at Mirage.

He chuckled quietly. "It was a spy camera. He threw it after us."

I glanced around and caught sight of it hovering a few metres away. It looked like a little fly or something. I sighed and shook my head. "I'm gonna kill him when we get back."

Mirage smiled patiently. "Perhaps you would like to activate your holoform? We could go for a walk?"

I nodded and did as he asked. Once I was human sized, he transformed into his alt mode and activated his holoform too, who stepped out and smiled at me. I smiled back and glanced around us. "Where are we?"

Mirage smile turned into a grin. "Guess."

I smiled slightly as I glanced around us. "It's warmer here than on the base.." I said thoughtfully, glancing around, "And it's dark.."

Mirage nodded. "All true."

He was enjoying this. I couldn't help but smile as I took in our surroundings. It was a warm night, and I could hear the sea in the distance. Trees rose up around us, and the sky was totally clear. If it was night time, that meant- "We're somewhere in Europe, aren't we?"

Mirage's smile widened and he took my hand. "We are." He said as he led me along the small, stony path we were on, with his alt mode driving along behind us.

"Hmmm..." I looked around thoughtfully as we walked. "Germany?"

"No." He smiled as we got to the end of the path.

I was annoyingly aware of Wheeljack's 'spy camera' following us, but I ignored it as best as I could. "Oh, France?"

"Closer." He smiled.

"Italy!" I twirled around to grin at him.

He laughed at my delight. "Yes."

"So, where-"

"Through here." He waved me through a small opening in a hedge.

I looked at him quizzically, but stepped through the hedge. My eyes widened as I stepped out onto a white sandy beach. The sea lapped lazily at the shore, and the whole thing was lit by the moonlight. "Oh my god... How did you know this place was here?"

Mirage gave me a sneaky smile. "Secret." He laughed as he followed me onto the sand.

:•Molly?•:

:•Dad? Um... I'm kind of on a date with Mirage.•:

:•Yes. I know that. I was actually just wondering why on Earth your date is being shown on the TV in the rec room.•:

I blinked, then glared. :•At least now I know why Wheeljack sent the camera.•:

:•In Wheeljack's defence, I believe Jazz managed to bribe him to- Does your holoform have a protrusion in the stomach area?•:

:•Uh.. Yeah. I guess it's a baby bump. Uh, I'm gonna talk to you later, 'kay?•:

:•Fascinating.. Yes, I will talk to you later. Please don't do anything ridiculous on your 'date'. You are being filmed, and it's drawn quite a crowd. Primus, even Optimus is watching.•:

I didn't reply, choosing instead to roll my eyes and glance back to Mirage. He was staring at the moon, a wistful gaze on his face. "You can see Earths moon so much clearer than you could see any of Cybertrons."

"You really miss it, huh?" I asked, walking over to stand next to him.

He nodded sadly, then shrugged. "That isn't the point. I brought energon, if you want some?"

I grinned and shook my head. "Not yet. It's been too long since I've seen the sea."

"The base is on an island. You can go to the sea any day." Mirage reminded me, looking at me curiously.

"I mean the proper sea. The sea like this, with a big beach... Not the sea by the island.. I think the last time was-" my breath caught in my throat slightly as I remembered. I had been six months pregnant, and Beth and I had gone to California for a week. We had spent most of the time learning how to surf, before giving up and sunbathing for the rest of the week.

Mirage rubbed my shoulder blades. "I am getting used to you spacing out, but sometimes it worries me."

I smiled and shook myself out of my reverie. "Sorry, I just- sorry."

"Don't be. So you don't want energon yet?"

I grinned and shook my head, before kicking my shoes off. They dissipated the minute they were off. I realised that I was still wearing my school uniform. I threw the blazer on the ground and pulled off my green knee length socks, leaving myself in my green plaid skirt, white shirt and green tie.

Mirage was watching me with wide eyes. "What are you-"

I laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him along after me as I sprinted for the sea. It was freezing, but I heated my holoform up enough that it didn't effect me as I plunged in, dragging Mirage with me.

"Cold!" He yelped as his legs made contact with the waves.

I laughed and dived under the water, kicking my legs and swimming further out. The water was dark, but my holoforms eyes could see through it. Seaweed swirled beneath my feet, and my head broke the water as I came back up to see where Mirage was. He was treading water a little bit away, looking apprehensive. I laughed at his expression. "What's wrong?"

"We never had water on Cybertron." Mirage told me, taking my hand and pulling my gently towards the beach. "I can't decide whether I like it or not."

I laughed at him, before smacking the water and splashing it at him. He gasped in mock outrage and shoved water back at me. It hit me in the face and I burst out laughing, before jumping on him. I landed on his head and shoved him under the water. He grabbed my legs and pulled me under too.

Had either Mirage or I actually been human, I would have been embarrassed by the fact that my skirt was floating around my waist and my white school-shirt had became see-through. Add that to the fact that Mirage had his arms wrapped around my legs, it made an awkward situation.

Thankfully, Mirage didn't seem to know humans well enough to realise that this was awkward. I laughed, air bubbles escaping through my mouth.

Irritation flashed through my sparkbond with Ratchet, but it was easy to ignore.

I poked Mirage hard in the stomach in an attempt to let me go, but he just grinned. He kicked his legs up and pulled me up to the shore with him. He laughed once we broke the surface and grabbed my hand, dragging me towards the beach again. "I think it's time for energon now."

I laughed and fell on the sand, lying on my back and staring up at the sky. Mirage disappeared for a moment, before appearing at my side and handing me a small, human-sized cube of energon. He lay down beside me and looked up at the sky, too.

"That one's Cybertron, right?" I pointed at a very faint star, one that wouldn't be visible with regular human eyes.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"Bluestreak told me." I smiled and drank some of the energon, still gazing at the stars.

Mirage turned his head to look at me, but said nothing for a few moments. "You know," he said at last, "I don't think I've told you that you're beautiful in a while."

I turned and grinned at him. "Well, you can say it now if you want to."

Mirage smiled and cupped my cheek. "You're beautiful." He whispered.

I smiled shyly as he leaned in and kissed me softly. I kissed back lightly.

I realised almost immediately that I wasn't into it, but I didn't pull back.

:•Molly, if you want to stop kissing Mirage, that would be fantastic!•: my dad sounded... strained?

I was about to reply when I got a comm. from Jazz. :•Molzo, the twins're goin' apeshit. Could you stop suckin' Mirage's face for a minute-•:

I pulled back from Mirage, and received almost simultaneous thank-you's from my dad and Jazz.

"What's wrong?" Mirage asked, frowning slightly.

"Nothing." I smiled quickly, before sitting up. I think I had just realised that kissing Mirage was like kissing Jazz - he was more brotherly than anything else. And I was going to have to tell him that. "I need to talk to you when we get back to the base."

- }l{ -

"I'm sorry."

Mirage and I were in the hall outside the med bay. Before we had started talking, I had crushed the spy camera between my fingers.

He looked at the ground and nodded. "I see. I was wondering when this would happen."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

Mirage raised his head and gave me a wry smile. "You were never interested in me. I knew that. I knew there was no space for me, because there was only room for the twins. It's been that way since before I arrived."

"But-"

Mirage shook his helm. "No, it's okay. At least I finally got that date, right?" He smiled slightly.

"Mirage..." I stared sadly at him. "I'm really sorry."

Mirage shook his helm again. "Don't be. Friends, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, of course."

"One more thing; you're sparked, aren't you?"

I took a step back in shock. "What? How did you-?"

Mirage nodded. "I thought so. The twins' work?"

I stared blankly at him. "Umm..."

Mirage sighed and looked down the hall for a moment, before turning back to me. "So, that's why Jazz didn't want you to be alone with me." A small smirk crossed his face. "Although I'd like to see anyone stop a 'bot that's carrying from-"

"Please don't finish that sentence."

Mirage laughed, a real laugh this time. "If the twins don't online their optics and see what they have in front of them, I'll have to online their optics for them."

I smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "You're a great friend."

"I'll see you around, friend. Good luck with the twins. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

He kissed the top of my helm, before turning and walking away.

**I'm sorry! It had to happen eventually :P I feel bad for Mirage...**

**Have a great Christmas you guys! :D**


	28. Chapter 28

I **hope everyone had a great Christmas! :) so, obviously I don't own any of the songs in this chapter :) they go to their respective owners :)**

"I'm going to the rec. room." I called tiredly to my dad.

Ratchet just nodded and continued to work on Wheeljack's new injuries. "Next time you beat Wheeljack up, please remember that it's me who has to fix him."

"Next time won't happen as long as 'Jackie promises not to spy on me again." I raised an optic ridge.

"I promise." Wheeljack scowled behind his battlemask.

"You had it coming." Ratchet snickered.

I smiled and left the room as Wheeljack started to grumble. I rubbed my chassis slightly as I walked to the rec room, sensing the little throb of life behind the metal.

When I walked into the rec room, I had a happy smile plastered on my face. I caught sight of Bluestreak sitting and staring forlornly out the window. "Hey, Blue. Are you okay?" I asked uncertainly, eyeing him carefully as I sat down next to him.

He jumped, as if he hadn't noticed me approach. "Oh. Hey Molly. Um.. Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

I frowned curiously at him before glancing out the window to see what he had been staring at. I was greeted with the sight of Laurie and a human male, walking and talking around the outside of the base. "Oh."

Bluestreak shrugged. "Um.. I didn't realise she had a boyfriend. I mean I probably should have but I never really thought about it all that much, y'know? But know I feel kinda stupid. I mean, it's not like it should affect me from being friends with her."

"Unless..."

"Unless what?" Bluestreak raised his head to stare at me.

"Unless you like her."

Bluestreak looked confused for a moment. "Of course I like her. She's my friend."

"No, I mean the other kind of like."

Bluestreak looked embarrassed as he looked away. "I- she's a different species. Everyone would laugh.."

"Bluestreak." I groaned, shaking my head. "It doesn't matter what others think. I'm asking you if you like her."

Bluestreak shrugged quickly. "Bumblebee arrived this morning." He changed the subject swiftly. "He's all excited and wants to talk to you about your sparkling."

"Aw, that's swee- wait, what?" My head snapped around to stare at him once I had registered what he had said. "My-? How does he know? Wait, how do _you_ know?"

"Oh. Um.. Jazz told me. And I told 'Bee. Is that bad? Was I not meant to? It was a secret, wasn't it? I'm sorry, Molly, I didn't know. I just got really excited and told 'Bee because I knew he'd be excited too. I was going to talk to the twins but they didn't seem very enthusiastic about it, so I didn't say anything, but I-"

"The twins don't know." I sighed, running a hand over my faceplates.

Bluestreak blinked. "They don't.. Know? But... They made it with you."

I winced awkwardly and nodded. "Um... Apparently I'm an older model femme, and so I was able to get sparked by interfacing rather than sparkmerging."

Bluestreak's face coloured with energon. "Oh. Okay. Sorry. I didn't know the details or whatever, I just assumed that they knew. That's why I thought it was so weird that they were still with Solstice, and-"

I just nodded and half-listened as Bluestreak rambled on. As he talked, the rec room started to fill up with 'bots coming to get their morning energon. Ironhide was shortly followed by the twins, who were followed by Jazz and Prowl, who were followed by Wheeljack, who was clearly fresh out of the medbay. They all grabbed their energon and hung around, chatting.

A few moments later, the door slid open again and Bumblebee raced in. He looked around eagerly, his optics lighting up in excitement when he saw me.

"He looks excited." Bluestreak commented as Bumblebee practically pounced on us.

I could have smacked him when he started playing 'Knocked Up' by Kings of Leon very loudly on his radio. I covered my faceplates as other 'bots in the room looked over curiously, and Jazz began to laugh.

Bluestreak grinned at him. "Hey, 'Bee. Isn't it great!"

_"I don't care what nobody says, we're gonna have a baby_.." Bumblebee nodded eagerly as the music spewed out of his speakers.

"Uh, 'Bee? The twins don't actually know yet." I whispered to him.

Bumblebee tilted his head confusedly, but still didn't stop the music. "_She don't care what her momma says, no, she's gonna have my baby.."_

"I-I haven't told them yet." I whispered, awkwardly glancing at them where they stood across the room. Like everyone else, they were staring confusedly at us.

_"I don't care what nobody says, I'm gonna be her lover. Always mad and usually drunk, but I love her like no other_.." 'Bee glanced back and forth between me and the twins, optic ridges furrowed in a frown.

"They don't know because it wasn't made through sparkmerging like most sparklings." Bluestreak inserted. "It was made through interfacing. That's what Ratchet told her."

'Bee blinked before glancing at the twins again. "_And the doctor says he don't know, where we gonna go.."_

Solstice chose that moment to skip through the door and sidle up to the twins.

Bumblebee's optics widened as he stared at them. "_And her daddy says he don't know, where we gonna go_?" He pointed at Solstice and the twins (subtlety was clearly not his strong point) questioningly.

"Yeah. Still together."

Bumblebee shook his head disapprovingly and put his hands on his hips. "_People call us renegades, 'cause we like takin' on this town 'cause people's gettin' lazy_.."

"Bumblebee, can you turn off the music? Please? I whispered, glancing around self consciously at everyone who was now openly staring.

_"I don't care what nobody says, I'm gonna be her lover, always m-_" Bumblebee scowled as he stopped the track. His face brightened some as he leapt onto the couch beside me and poked hesitantly at my chassis.

Ironhide let out a loud snort from across the room, and it occurred to me that he knew what Bumblebee was doing. I turned to stare at Bluestreak, suddenly nervous. "How many people know?"

"Uh... Well, I thought everyone knew. That's why I was so surprised when you said the twins didn't know."

I groaned and hid my face. "Oh god..."

"She don' care wha' nobody says, she's gonna have her baaaabyyyy!" Jazz sang as he pranced across the room.

"I'm going to kill him." I glared at him.

He saw my glare and laughed. "Y'know, I think tha' song is gonna be my new jam!"

"What was that all about?" Sideswipe asked, raising an optic ridge at Bumblebee.

Bumblebee grinned cheekily and raised his optic ridges at me. I just gave him a warning look.

"Li'l 'Bee loves tha' song. Don' tell me it's the firs' time you've ever heard him play it." Jazz grinned.

Sideswipe narrowed his optics, clearly having caught on that something was going on. "First time I've heard it."

"Really?" Jazz pondered this for a minute. "Hmm... Well, it's on'y natural tha' we play songs we love. Such as:" he fiddled with his radio reciever for a moment, before grinning as music issued out. "_Oh, oh, oh sweet child o' mine. Oh, oh, oh sweet love o' mine."_

Bluestreak laughed and decided to join in, mapping out radio frequencies for the right song. "_You're havin' my baby, you're the woman I love and I love what it's doin' to ya. Havin' my baby, what a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me.."_

I groaned as Sideswipe just got more confused. "Is this an inside joke or something? Because I make the inside jokes, so I don't understand how I don't know this one."

And then Wheeljack joined in, and I felt like beating him up all over again. "_Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep, Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep. Oh, I'm gonna keep my baby, ooh, don't you stop loving me daddy, I know I'm keeping my baby_." Pop music warbled out of Wheeljack's speakers.

Jazz wrinkled his nose. "Madonna? Tha's the best you could do?"

"First one I could find!" Wheeljack said defensively.

Ironhide snorted and shook his helm. "That was a weak attempt."

"I'd like to see you do better!" Wheeljack challenged.

Ironhide rumbled, pausing slightly before playing his song of choice. "_You were just a small bump unborn, in four months you're brought to life. You might be left with my hair but you'll have your mothers eyes. I'll hold your body in my hands and be as gentle as I can, but for now you're a scan on my unmade plans, small bump-"_

I couldn't help but smile despite my annoyance. "Aw. That's so sweet."

Bluestreak nudged me softly and whispered. "You know, you have a small bump around your chassis."

"I know." I smiled excitedly despite myself. "Ratchet said the sparkling is almost ready to split from my spark and sink into my gestation chamber."

Bluestreak's smile flickered slightly. "That's gross. But also... You're unbonded. I thought that it would be dangerous to have a sparkling separate from your spark.." He trailed off.

"It is, but my dad said he would make sure everything is okay."

Bluetreak nodded and 'Bee beeped curiously, after listening in.

"I'm picking up an obvious theme here, but I still don't understand it." Sideswipe frowned, glancing back and forward between the other mechs. He turned to his twin and Solstice and raised an optic ridge. "Do you guys get it?"

Sunny shook his head uncaringly. "No. Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!" Ironhide exploded, causing everyone to jump in surprise and stare at him. "How have you idiots not figured out-"

Jazz leapt up and kicked him in the shin, effectively cutting off his sentence. Ironhide roared and lunged for him, but the saboteur was too fast and dodged out of the way.

I stifled a laugh, but gasped when Jazz grabbed me and held me in front of him like a shield. I yelped as Ironhide almost went to lunge again.

There was a sharp growl and suddenly Sunstreaker was snatching me out of Jazz's hands and Sideswipe was facing Ironhide with his blade out.

"Whoa!" Jazz stepped back as Sunstreaker snarled at him. "Easy..."

"Um..." I said awkwardly as I hung from Sunstreaker's arms, my feet several inches from the ground. "Sunny... Could you put me down?"

Sunstreaker just growled and backed away from Jazz, glaring. Sideswipe's optics narrowed as he followed Sunstreaker's lead towards the couch.

Ironhide blinked at them. "What the frag was that?"

"Don't touch her." Sideswipe's lips curled up in a snarl.

Jazz held his hands up in surrender. "Got it. I was jus' tryin' to get Ironhide-"

Sunstreaker growled and gripped me tighter. "No."

"Ow. Sunny-" I began to struggle lightly.

His grip loosened immediately and he held me higher as he backed away from the other mechs.

"This is really awkward..." I sighed.

"What are you doing?" Solstice stared at the twins in clear surprise. "Put her down."

Sideswipe growled at her.

Solstice's mouth fell open as she stared at him, her surprise turning to shock. "Did you just growl at me?"

Sideswipe blinked. "What?"

"You just _growled_ at me!" Solstice looked outraged now.

Jazz and Ironhide began backing away to sit back down again. "Shit's gonna go down." Jazz whispered loudly.

The twins looked like they were waking up from sleepwalking. Sunstreaker stared at me, but didn't put me down. "What-?"

"You can let me go now." I said slowly. "That would be great."

Sunstreaker blinked at me before nodding slowly and lowering me to the ground.

Meanwhile, Solstice was raging. "You can't growl at me!"

"Course he can." Jazz piped up. "Yo' his girlfriend. He can growl at yo' if he wants."

I frowned at Jazz. "You mean that it's alright for mechs to growl at femmes?"

Jazz looked startled. "Wha'? No! I mean, it wouldn' be okay to growl at you because- okay, I'm gonna start this again, so ev'ryone listen: it is okay to growl at people if yo' really want to, but don' growl at Molly. Tha' won' end well." He pointed at the twins. "I'm talkin' to yo'."

Sideswipe sighed and shook his helm. "I didn't mean to, I was-"

"I know what you were doing." Solstice interrupted, crossing her arms. "You were mooning over the youngling."

I scowled at her. "I'm not a youngling."

She ignored me completely and kept ranting on to the twins. "Could you look away from her for a minute and focus on me? I'm the one you're currently courting! I'm the one you take to the berth every night! Not her!"

"Things jus' got awkward..." Jazz mumbled, leaning awkwardly in his seat.

Sunstreaker scowled and opened his mouth to respond, but she spoke over him. "I mean, I don't understand it! If you fragged her once would you get over her afterwards and just forget about her? Because the fact that she's just about out of sparklinghood might make it a bit difficult to-"

"What is the matter with you?" Sideswipe growled, looking angry.

"The matter with me?" Solstice practically shrieked.

"Perhaps this argument had best be moved someplace else." Prowl raised an optic ridge.

"We are not arguing!" Solstice pointed a finger firmly at him.

"I think she's lost it." I whispered uncertainly to Bluestreak, who nodded.

"Solstice-" Sunstreaker was clearly getting extremely annoyed with her, but she didn't seem to notice.

"I just don't understand it, okay? We've been together for so long! You've only known her for a little while! And I'm the one you're going to sparkbond to!"

I pursed my lips and glanced down at my feet. I could feel the sparkling pulling towards its creators as if it had heard what Solstice had said and was trying to get to them before she could.

There was complete silence in the room following Solstice's statement. Almost everyone had turned to stare at the twins in shock.

"Is that true?" Bluestreak asked, optics wide.

Ironhide's fists clenched and he glared at them. "I sincerely hope not."

Sideswipe looked like he was grounding his denta together. "We haven't agreed to that."

I relaxed almost immediately, but Solstice got angrier. "What do you mean? You have to think about it?! We've been together for millennia!"

"We know that, but-"

"But what?!"

"Sol, would you just-"

"No, Sideswipe! You have to stop! What do you have to say for yourself?"

She was met with an awkward silence, which Bumblebee decided to break with another audio clip, this time from Friends. "Are you in there little fetus? In nine months will you come greet us? I will buy you some Adidas." Phoebe's voice echoed around the tense silence.

Jazz stifled a laugh and shook his head. "'Bee, tha' had to have been the worst possible time to play tha'."

Solstice whirled around and glared at them. "Will you stop with the songs?!"

"Solstice," Prowl interrupted sharply, stepping forwards and firmly placing a hand on her shoulder. "Come with me."

Everyone was silent as Prowl and Solstice left the room. Once the doors shut behind them, Jazz turned to the twins and raised his optic ridges. "Yo' were goin' to sparkbond to that?"

Sunstreaker blatantly ignored him as he turned to me. "Sorry. For picking you up."

I scratched my helm and nodded. "It's okay."

Sideswipe rubbed him faceplates tiredly and sighed. "What's wrong with her?"

"A lot." I muttered, sitting down on the couch next to Blue and 'Bee.

"I don't care what nobody says, we gonna have a baby," Bumblebee grinned as he played the music again.

I smacked at him lightly. "Turn it off!"

"I still didn't understand why all of the songs are about sparklings." Sideswipe tilted his head at us.

I glared at Bumblebee, "They're just messing."

Sunstreaker frowned, clearly unconvinced. "I don't see the point in joking about sparklings. They're not very funny."

"According to Solstice, I'm a sparkling." I pointed out from my seat beside Bluestreak, "And in my opinion, I'm hilarious."

"You're not a sparkling." Sunstreaker said irritably, coming over and pushing Bumblebee off the couch, before sitting next to me.

I frowned at him and shoved him off the couch, before raising an optic ridge at 'Bee and offering him the seat again. Bumblebee shook his head and smiled, before bouncing over to talk to Jazz. Sunstreaker scowled at me as he reclaimed the seat again.

Ironhide frowned disapprovingly at him. "You would know."

Sunny raised his head to look at him and narrowed his optics. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that someone who has such intimate knowledge of her would know whether or not she is a sparkling."

Both twins had stiffened, and were staring at him with an expression of mingled annoyance and surprise. Sideswipe was able to hide his annoyance well, but Sunstreaker expressed his emotion in a furious glare. "I think it's obvious anyway, just by looking at her."

"Do you look at her a lot?" Ironhide raised an optic ridge.

I sank back into the couch in embarrassment as Sunstreaker growled dangerously. Bluestreak stood from his seat immediately when Sideswipe made his way over. The red twin took the recently vacated seat and frowned at Ironhide as he sat down. "I don't think we understand what you mean, 'Hidey. Care to be a bit more specific? I mean, we see her almost every day. But for some reason, I don't think that's what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about the fact that you two ignorant slaggers 'faced her and then went back to Solstice!" Ironhide hissed at them.

Surprise showed clearly on both of their faces. "How did yo-"

"It doesn't matter," Ironhide growled, "My point is, have you even asked her how she's been feeling? Have you not noticed that she's been acting stranger than usual? Did you not notice that she actually flirted with Jazz the other day?"

My face coloured with energon in embarrassment at the memory. In my defence, the sparkling had confused my emotions so much, there was only one thing on my mind. Thankfully, Jazz had taken it all in his stride and had simply carried me to the medbay, laughing at me as he handed me to Ratchet.

Jazz burst out laughing at the memory. "Oh, tha' was funny."

Sideswipe stared at me in mild horror. "You flirted with Jazz?"

My face heated up even more, "I wasn't meant to! I was confused, and-"

"And now you have to ask her why she was confused!" Wheeljack encouraged in a loud whisper.

"Wheeljack!" I glared at him.

"Why were you confused?" Sideswipe's optics narrowed.

My mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. "I don't-"

"I'll tell 'em!" Jazz skipped over and, before I could protest, began whispering in Sideswipe's audio.

Sideswipe froze, and his optics widened upon hearing whatever it was Jazz was whispering to him. "What?" His voice came out strangled.

Jazz grinned happily and skipped around to Sunstreaker, leaning in and whispering in his audio receptor too. At first Sunstreaker leaned away from him, but as Jazz continued to talk, Sunny's reaction was almost identical to Sideswipe's.

"Jazz, I didn't want-" I began, but Sideswipe cut me off.

"Is that true?" He demanded.

I faltered slightly. "Um.. That depends on what Jazz said."

His optics drifted down to my chassis and he stared blankly. Without a word, he stretched out his fingers to gently touch the slight bulge of my spark chamber.

Wheeljack made a noise that sounded as though he was clearing his throat. "I think we should give them a moment alone."

There were a few noises of agreement as everyone trickled out of the room, the door sliding shut behind them.

There was silence for a moment. Sideswipe's fingers hadn't shifted from my chassis.

"You're sparked." Sunstreaker said at last, his voice gruffer than normal.

Sideswipe's fingers twitched where they sat over my sparkchamber. "That shouldn't be possible. We didn't- I mean, there was no sparkmerging."

I nodded nervously. "Yeah, um... Apparently, I'm an older model femme. The old way of creating sparklings was interfacing, but that died out because newer model femmes were built without the parts necessary to get sparked via interface. But I'm am older model, so when we.. Um.. interfaced, I got sparked." I grinned awkwardly. "Isn't it great?"

There was absolute silence. "This isn't a joke." Sunstreaker said at last.

I shook my head. I was getting more and more anxious that they wouldn't accept me or the sparkling. "No. Um.. I can show you, if you'd like..?"

Sideswipe's optics brightened a bit. "You can show us our sparkling?"

I nodded and smiled sheepishly as I opened my sparkchamber. The panel slid open and my spark was revealed. Beside my lifeforce was a smaller orb of light, floating and bobbing and circling around my spark, connected by a thin string of spark energy. I felt self-conscious as neither of the twins said a word, simply staring blankly at my spark and the sparkling. "Um.. What do you think?"

Sunstreaker was the first to respond. He hesitantly lifted his hand and place it near my sparkchamber. The sparkling reacted to his closeness, practically jumping up and down. I laughed at the sight. "The sparkling recognises you."

A small smile spread across Sunstreaker's face as he watched the sparkling. "It does?"

"Of course. You're the daddy." I smiled.

Sideswipe seemed to come to his senses as he blinked. "That means I'm the daddy too. Slag. I can't look after a sparkling!" He began to panic.

Sunstreaker hit him over the head carelessly, hardly glancing up from the sparkling. "Shush."

I reached out a hand to Sideswipe. "It'll be okay. I promise."

He took my hand and squeezed it slightly, still looking apprehensive. "It's just.. This is big. This is a permanent kind of situation."

I couldn't help but smile and squeeze his hand back. "I know. I'm gonna be a mom."

Sunstreaker lifted his head suddenly, "Does Ratchet know?"

"Of course. I think almost everyone knew except you and Solstice."

Sunstreaker looked angry. "We were the last ones to find out about our sparkling?"

I sighed and lifted my hand to my sparkchamber like I usually did when I was nervous. "Well, Ratchet sort of had to know. Then Annabelle found out. Then Jazz found out and told everyone else."

Sideswipe growled furiously, "Jazz."

"Leave him, please?" I begged.

Sideswipe huffed but glanced down at the sparkling and smiled despite himself. He too lowered his head until he was optic-level with the sparkling, and promptly began talking to it. "Hi, there. I'm Sideswipe. I'm your creator. Well, I'm one of them. See, me and you're other daddy fragged mommy when she was over-charged, and didn't know that mommy could get sparked by interface. But it turns out she could, and now you're here! Isn't that great? It sure is. But your mommy's parental unit beat your daddies up because we got mommy sparked. Yes he did. But your daddies didn't know that mommy was sparked, so we just thought he was beating us up for fragging her. And then granddaddy Ratchet said that we can't frag mommy anymore, and that made us sad."

"Actually, he said you can't frag me until you break up with Solstice." I corrected.

"Shouldn't be a problem." Sunstreaker murmured quietly. "Now we have a reason."

Sideswipe ignored us and kept talking to the sparkling. "The reason we haven't said hello sooner is because we didn't know that you were in there! Mommy told her friend Annabelle, and she told Uncle Jazz, who we may have offlined before you can meet him. See, the reason we're annoyed at Jazz is because he told everyone on base except for us that mommy was sparked with you. Isn't that unfair? Yes it is. In fact, we only found out that you were here a few minutes ago. That's right! But it's okay, because now that we know you're here we can say hello lots more! And we can have fantastic conversations like this one that we're having right now. I just hope you're not like your mommy was when she was a sparkling. She was a little nightmare. Ow!"

I smacked him and shook my head. "I was not. And this is your sparkling. Of course it's going to be a little nightmare. But it's going to be the good kind."

Sunstreaker grinned and wrapped his arms around my waist, settling back comfortably with me on his lap. "We're going to teach it to pull pranks, and to fight, and how to do Jet Judo, and-"

"Well, you'll have to wait 'till it's grown up for that." I grinned at him.

Sunny shrugged, before kissing me softly. He took me by surprise and I didn't move for a moment, before relaxing into him and reciprocating the kiss.

"And now mommy and one of your daddies are kissing. Yep. But don't worry, I won't let them do anything else. One sparkling is all we need." Sideswipe continued talking. "Not that another sparkling wouldn't be great, but I think we'd better wait until you come before we start thinking about getting you any brothers or sisters."

I grinned as I pulled away from Sunny. "You say that like you think you'll be getting lucky again."

Sides pouted. "You wouldn't deny us, would you?"

I rolled my optics at him. "After last time when you fragged me and told me you liked me but that you couldn't break up with your girlfriend even though you didn't like her? Right. How could I possibly say no?"

Sunny kissed my neck. "We are sorry about that, you know."

"Or a couple of days ago, when you told me hat you wouldn't be breaking up with Solstice, so I should go and find Mirage and ask him to frag me?"

Sunstreaker stared at his twin in disbelief. "You said that to her?"

Sideswipe winced slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Or that time when-" I went to continue, but Sideswipe cut me off by bringing his head level with mine and kissing me.

The twins were definitely the dominating type, I figured out pretty quickly. Every time I went to make a move, I was greeted with small warning growls.

I leaned back as Sunny kissed my neck, Sideswipe pushing me gently back onto his twins chassis without breaking the kiss. I gasped slightly as Sunstreaker bit down gently on one of the sensitive wires in my neck, but Sideswipe didn't let me make any sound as he engulfed my mouth in his. It seemed as though he had lost something down my throat and was trying very hard to get it back.

Sideswipe ground against me as he kissed me, but I pulled back and shook my head, my cooling fans running embarrassingly loudly. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why not?" Sideswipe frowned, moving to kiss me again.

He stilled when I placed my hand gently against his chassis. "Well, for one this is a bit of a compromising position if someone were to walk in." I pointed out.

Sunstreaker snorted. "So? This is the recreation room. We were about to have recreational interface."

I rolled my optics and decided not to reply to that. "Also, I'm already sparked, so I think your job is done."

"The sparkling might want siblings!" Sideswipe protested.

"Well, that can wait until later. When the sparkling is actually born." I pointed out.

Sideswipe groaned and rested his head on my chassis, just above my still-open sparkchamber. "We have to wait to interface? That sucks."

I shrugged. "Um... I hate to ask this, but are you still-"

"With Solstice?" Sunstreaker guessed. I nodded sheepishly. He shook his head slowly. "No. We'll tell her this evening. After we write our wills."

I rested my head on his shoulder and rested my hands on Sideswipe's helm. "I'm sorry." I murmured as I drew patterns on Sideswipe's helm with my fingers.

"Don't be." Sunny said shortly. "It's hardly your fault."

I said nothing for a moment. "So... What are we going to do? About the sparkling?"

Sideswipe lifted his head. "We're keeping it, of course."

Relief spread through me and I sighed and smiled. "Really?"

"Obviously." Sideswipe slid closer and hugged me. "We're gonna be like a family."

"I thought you didn't like commitment." I said quietly.

Sideswipe trailed his hands down my back. "It's not that we don't like committing to people. People don't like committing to us. That's why when Solstice first asked us to sparkbond with her, we were honestly going to say yes. Because no one had ever wanted any kind of closeness with us. I mean sure, we had plenty of mechs and femmes for interface buddies, but they never..." He trailed off slightly and frowned. "They never wanted anything more than that."

Sunstreaker had tensed underneath me as Sideswipe spoke. I hesitated slightly before speaking. "Was this in Kaon? When you were gladiators?"

"Yes." Sunstreaker said shortly. "We were just bragging rights."

I said nothing for a moment, before kissing each of them gently. "I'm sorry."

"The point Sideswipe was trying to make," Sunny sighed and continued, rubbing the back of my neck gently, "was that we want this. Obviously, it's unexpected, but we can handle it. If you want us, of course."

I had never heard Sunstreaker sound so uncertain and vulnerable, and it melted my spark. I laid my head on his shoulder. "Of course I want you."

Sideswipe smiled and squeezed my hand. "Good."

The door to the rec. room slid open, and Wheeljack poked his head in. "Are you finished?"

Jazz darted in before we could reply, and jumped on the couch next to Sideswipe, almost pushing him off. "So, wha' do ya think? Are ya gonna keep it? Did ya see it? What're ya gonna call it? Are ya gonna break up wi'h Solstice? 'Cause she's a psycho bitch, jus' sayin'."

Sunstreaker scowled at him. "Jazz-"

"Wha'? Molly, I need answers!" Jazz turned to me and grinned.

"Yes, we're keeping the sparkling, yes, the twins saw it, we don't know what to call it yet because we don't know if it's a mech or a femme, yes they are going to break up with Solstice." I couldn't help but grin when I said that.

Jazz returned my grin, his smile stretching to the edge of his face. "It's 'bout damn time."

A laugh bubbled out of my vocaliser and I cuddled closer to both twins. "I know. Dumbafts."

Sunstreaker rumbled warningly, but kissed the top of my head gently. "We haven't broken up with her yet."

I turned to look at him. "But you will, right?"

"Yes." Sideswipe promised, squeezing my hand.

"Aww. Cute." Jazz grinned excitedly. "When're ya gonna know if it's a mech or femme?"

"Well, my dad says that it's almost ready to split from my spark and sink into my gestation chamber." I smiled. "So, once it sinks into my gestation chamber it'll start growing its protoform. And then we'll be able to tell."

There was silence for a moment. "When yo' gonna tell the Doc-bot tha' yo' runnin' after his daughter again?"

Sideswipe hesitated. "Do we have to tell him?"

I frowned at him. "Yes, of course."

"When are you going to tell him?" Sunstreaker raised an optic ridge.

I burst out laughing. "Me? Hell no. You're going to tell him."

There was a prolonged silence. "I don't think that's a good idea." Sideswipe said slowly.

"Of course it is." Wheeljack said as he sat down in the chair across from us. "Molly can't tell him. She's sparked."

"But-"

Wheeljack shook his helm, his audio fins lighting up grimly. "No. You two can do it."

I smiled sympathetically at them. "You'll be fine."

Bumblebee and Bluestreak sat down either side of Wheeljack. 'Bee grinned at the twins and blasted music from his stereo again. "I don't care what nobody says, we're gonna have a baby-"

"Bumblebee!" I laughed.

"I get it now." Sideswipe smiled grudgingly as his hand traced my sparkchamber.

"Prowler's comin' back with Solstice." Jazz said suddenly, his head tilted in annoyance as he spoke to Prowl through a comm. link.

"I'm gonna go," I said immediately, standing up.

"Molly!" Sideswipe protested, reaching for me.

"No, seriously, Sides. Ratchet wants to scan me again." I smiled and squeezed his hand. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, if there's any of us left after Solstice gets through with us." He muttered, before getting to his feet and kissing my cheek. "See you."

I blushed and nodded, heading out of the rec. room. I smiled as Bumblebee bounced after me, clearly wanting to witness the scan. "Looking forward to seeing the sparkling, 'Bee?"

"I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it," Bumblebee grinned and nodded.

"Good." I smiled. "I'm excited too."

Bumblebee clapped his hands as we neared the medbay. "Can't wait... To... See... Baby, baby, baby oooh-" his radio crackled as he flicked rapidly through radio stations to form a sentence.

"I can't either." I smiled. "And Ratchet can't wait to be a granddaddy, I just know it."

"And... Twins... Breaking... Up with... The winter solstice..."

"Breaking up with Solstice? Yeah." I smiled grimly despite myself. "That should go well."


	29. Chapter 29

**Thank you all so much for the reviews! I love them so much :D I'm so sorry if I didn't reply to a review, I'll try harder to reply to them :) so here's the next chapter :) please feel free to review!**

Solstice hadn't shown up for any of her shifts in three days.

Prowl was getting irritated. :•Has anyone seen Solstice? She has missed every shift in the past 72 hours?.•: he asked over the public comm. channel.

I glanced up at my dad as he ran a scanner over my chassis. His optics met mine at the same time and he raised an optic ridge. "Did the twins have a chat with her?"

I nodded silently, watching him as he turned away to look over my results.

:•Just leave her.•: Sideswipe replied over the public comm. channel.

"I'm guessing it didn't go well." Ratchet raised an optic ridge again.

"No one knows where she is." I said absently. I felt vaguely uncomfortable talking about Solstice. "Um... Is everything alright with the sparkling?"

"Open your sparkchamber." He said simply, tapping on my chassis gently. I obliged, my sparkchamber sliding open easily to reveal the two linked sparks in my chassis. My dad leaned down to examine both sparks intently. "It seems to be strong. Good. I would imagine it will split from your spark and sink into your gestation chamber sometime within the next week."

A huge smile spread across my face. "Great! I'm really excited!"

Ratchet's lips curved up in a grudging smile. "I know. I have to admit... The thought of being a grandsire isn't _terrible_."

I grinned. "You're excited too, aren't you?"

He just rolled his optics at me and told me to remain still, before going back to examining the sparks.

The medbay door opened up and the twins trudged in, completely scratched up and dented and looking depressed. "Hey, Hatchet." Sideswipe said gloomily.

Ratchet lifted his head and looked around, face morphing into a scowl when he caught sight of them. "What the slag happened _this_ time?"

Sideswipe shrugged. "We were training and got a bit carried away. Then Sunstreaker got pissy because I scratched his paint."

Sunstreaker growled and glared at his twin. "You're repainting me after we get fixed."

Ratchet snarled quietly. "What makes you think I'm going to fix you?" He demanded, turning back around to observe the sparkling.

"Because- what are you doing?" Sideswipe seemed to just notice the fact that my sparkchamber was open.

Ratchet turned to glare at them. "I'm checking up on the sparkling that _you two_ created by taking advantage of _my daughter_ while she was _over-charged_."

The twins didn't even have the decency to look ashamed. Sunstreaker stepped forwards to look, tilting his helm at my sparkchamber. "Is it alright?"

Ratchet just rolled his optics at them and turned back to me. "It's fine." He said shortly.

Sideswipe hopped onto the medical berth next to me, ignoring Ratchet's irritated glare. "What about Molly?"

"She's fine." He growled irritably. "Perhaps next time you think of doing something completely stupid you might use the processors that Primus blessed you with. If they even work." He added the last bit in an undertone.

Sideswipe ignored him as he leaned down to see the sparkling. "Hi there! It's daddy again! Well, daddy number one. How are you? I hope mommy's sparkchamber is nice and warm and comfortable."

"It won't be in there for much longer anyway." I smiled fondly.

Sunstreaker raised an optic ridge. "How come?"

"It will be separating from her spark." Ratchet said tiredly. "That is something I wanted to speak with you about. The sparkling seems to be quite strong, but I'm going to have to ask you to stay with her overnight to ensure the sparkling can feel your bond."

Sideswipe blinked. "We have a bond with it already?"

"Of course." Ratchet said irritably. "You _created_ it, fragheads. It's the fact that you do not yet have a bond with my daughter despite the fact that she is carrying that bothers me."

Sunstreaker frowned. "Why-"

"Because if the sparkling isn't strong enough to survive when it separates then both sparks will extinguish and they will offline." Ratchet said bluntly.

The twins stared at him openmouthed. "Wh-?"

"I have to do work." Ratchet said shortly, marching to his office and shutting the door.

Sunstreaker turned to stare at me blankly. "You never told us you might die."

"My dad says the sparkling should be strong enough to survive." I said defensively.

"It doesn't matter. This changes things." Sunstreaker was frowning in concentration as he thought.

"Well, that's why you have to stay with me tonight. To strengthen the sparkling."

"All you had to do was ask us to stay and we would have, Molly." Sideswipe frowned slightly at me.

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

Sides grinned and kissed my forehead. "Of course."

"Ratchet wants us to bond with you." Sunstreaker stated suddenly as my cheeks darkened in an energon-blush.

"'_Want_' is a very strong word. I think a better way to say it would be '_he doesn't want me to die_'." I told him, smiling sheepishly.

"Same thing." Sunstreaker waved a hand.

"It's not the same thing at all."

"It's close enough."

"Not really."

"Hello, sparkling! We're gonna stay with you and mommy tonight! Isn't that great? I bet you're really excited. _I_ would be. We can stay at our quarters, and we can watch a movie! We can just borrow one off of Bluestreak, he always has movies." Sideswipe kept talking to the sparkling. "It's going to be great. We can watch rom-coms and snuggle and-"

"Will you shut up?" Sunstreaker said irritably.

"No! The sparkling likes me talking. Don't you, buddy?" Sideswipe grinned at the tiny spark in my chassis, which pulsed slightly in response. "See?"

"You sound like Bluestreak." Sunstreaker said grumpily.

"So where's Solstice?" I asked in a forced nonchalant tone.

Sideswipe stopped his constant chatter to the sparkling and Sunstreaker pursed his lips. "We don't know." Sunny admitted finally.

"Did you.. Um.. Talk to her?" I asked awkwardly.

"Yes." Sunny said shortly.

"So I'm guessing it went well, then."

Sunstreaker huffed quietly. "She was not impressed. She almost punched us, but just marched out. We don't know where she's gone."

I hummed absently, glancing down at my lap. "Oh."

There was silence for a long moment, before Sunstreaker rubbed my neck softly. "Come on. We'll go back to our quarters."

I nodded and hopped off the berth, before closing my spark chamber and turning to Ratchet's office and calling "Dad, I'm going to the twins' quarters."

"_No interfacing_!" He roared back.

"_No promises!_" Sideswipe yelled as he picked me up and slung me over his shoulder.

I yelped in surprise as he carried me out of the medbay, Sunstreaker following close behind. "What are you doing?"

"Going to our berth room." Sideswipe smirked as he walked down the hall.

"I commed Bluestreak." Sunstreaker announced, "He said he'd drop the movie off at our door."

"Great." Sideswipe patted my aft, "Isn't that great, Molly Dolly?"

"Don't touch my _aft_. We're in a public corridor."

"Am I allowed to touch it when we're in our quarters?" He asked cheekily.

"I'm already sparked, Sides. Is that not enough for you?"

"Absolutely _not_." He said immediately. "I need more. We only interfaced once!"

"And that one interface is how I became sparked."

"That's irrelevant." Sideswipe flapped the hand that wasn't holding me in place on his shoulder. "I know he's being quiet, but Sunny totally agrees with me."

"Don't call me that." Sunstreaker growled irritably.

"Back me up!"

Sunstreaker rolled his optics. "Yes, Molly. We want to interface with you again very much."

Unfortunately, it was at the exact moment he said that when we bumped into Jazz and Ironhide walking around the corner. "You what?" Ironhide grumbled. "Isn't the fact that she's sparked enough for you?"

Sideswipe grinned and shook his head as my faceplates darkened in embarrassment. "Nope. How would you feel if you only 'faced Chromia once?"

"Chromia and I are sparkbonded." He frowned.

Sideswipe shrugged. Jazz grinned suddenly. "I hope yo' goin' back to yo' quarters, 'cause I think Prowler'll glitch if he sees ya fraggin' in the hall."

I groaned and buried my head in Sideswipe's backplates. What made it even more embarrassing was the fact that I was still slung across his shoulder and my aft was in the air, pretty much the only thing Jazz and Ironhide could see of me.

Jazz laughed in delight at my embarrassment. "Hey, how come you's are all dented up?" He asked the twins suddenly.

"Training." Sideswipe shrugged.

"And you haven't repainted yourselves yet?" Ironhide raised an optic ridge suspiciously.

Sideswipe hefted me higher on his shoulder. "We actually had something else on our minds. No point in painting ourselves if our activities are going to lead us into getting scratched again, right?"

Jazz raised an optic ridge and returned Sideswipe's grin. "I suppose no'. I'll tell Prowler tha' ya won't be makin' it to yo' shifts t'night."

Sunstreaker smirked. "Thanks." He began walking down the corridor again, patting my aft as he walked past and laughing at the resulting growl he got.

"See you later." Sideswipe grinned and followed his brother the rest of the way to their quarters.

"That was so embarrassing." I groaned.

Sideswipe laughed and patted my aft. "It wasn't that bad."

"Sideswipe!" I wriggled on his shoulder to try and get him to stop petting my aft.

"You're making your situation worse, princess." Was all he said as he followed Sunny into their quarters.

I yelped as he dropped me on the berth. "_Jesus_!"

He laughed and crawled onto the bed beside me, before straddling my hips and holding me down. "No, I'm Sideswipe. You'll have to remember my name for when you scream it out, Molly Dolly."

I rolled my optics as he kissed my neck. "I can't see that happening."

"Why.. Not?" He asked in between kisses.

"Because Sunny's setting up the movie!" I wrapped my legs around his waist and rolled so that he was no longer on top of me.

He landed beside me and scowled. "After?"

I laughed. "We'll see."

Sunstreaker smirked and came over to the berth as the movie started playing. "I don't think you'll be able to say no."

I just smiled at him as he sat on my other side. "We'll see." I repeated, cuddling into his side as Sideswipe wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head by my chassis. "What movie is this?"

"Bluestreak said it was '_The Proposal'._ He said it was good." Sunstreaker shrugged. "Have you seen it?"

I shook my head. "No, but I've heard of it."

"Shhh! The sparkling wants to hear, you guys!" Sideswipe shushed us.

Sunstreaker raised an optic ridge at him, but clearly decided to say nothing

A while later, when we had gotten to a scene where the main female lead was in the woods with the grandmother of the main male lead, chanting some old Indian chant, the sparkling began to move a bit. I ignored it for a few minutes.

"_Come on, Margaret, chant from your heart!"_

"_Oh, uh.. Okay! Uh.. To the windows, to the windows! To the walls, to the walls! And sweat drips down my balls!"_

Sideswipe spluttered a bit. "What?"

The sparkling nudged again, and I realised quite suddenly that it was moving in time to the chants. I laughed suddenly and took a hand of each twin, before placing them over my spark chamber. "Do you feel it moving around?"

Sideswipe laughed in delight. "Yeah!"

Sunstreaker smiled curiously. "Is it...dancing in time to the chant?"

I grinned and nodded. "Isn't that cute?"

"To the windows, to the windows! To the walls, to the walls!" Sideswipe sang, grinning at my closed sparkchamber.

We all laughed as the sparkling pulsed in response. "Well, there you go. We have a musically talented sparkling." Sunny grinned.

"_Whatcha doin'?"_

_"Oh, um.. Gammy told me to chant from the heart."_

_"Balls? That's what came from your heart?"_

_"You know.. I went with the beat."_

Sideswipe snickered. I smiled happily and leaned back to watch the rest of the movie, but Sideswipe decided to distract me by nibbling at my audio receptor. I tried to calculate how long I would be able to ignore him before he did something drastic, when Sunstreaker began kissing my neck on the other side. "Guys. This is unfair." I groaned.

Sunstreaker chuckled, his body sending vibrations through mine, and subsequently into Sideswipe's. "All's fair in love and war."

"Do you plan on making this love or war?" Sideswipe whispered into my audio. "Because we would really appreciate if you could make it love."

"I know you would." I rolled my optics, and laughed when Sunstreaker suddenly leapt on top of me, straddling my hips. "Really?"

Sunny just smirked and bent his head to kiss at my neck again. I opened my mouth to say something, but Sideswipe covered my lips with his before I could say a word. I relaxed against the berth, deciding to simply give in to them. It wasn't a particularly hard decision.

Sunstreaker ground his hips against mine, leaving streaks of golden yellow paint on my unpainted pelvis area. It looked very bright against the greyish-silver of my body, but I forgot about it quickly as the twins didn't pause for a second in their ministrations.

Things were starting to get heated when I abruptly felt a sharp pain in my sparkchamber. "Ow!"

Sunstreaker was off me in a second. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

My hand flew to my sparkchamber and I winced. "No, I- _ow_! Jeez!"

"Slag, is it the sparkling? Come on, we'll get you to Ratchet." Sunstreaker said, picking me up gently and carrying me princess-style out of the room.

I hissed as another sharp pain went through my spark again. "What's happening?"

"We don't know." Sideswipe squeezed my hand anxiously. "It'll be okay, don't worry. It'll be okay."

We burst into the medbay seconds later, almost giving my dad a sparkattack. Once he took a closer look at me, he pointed at a medical berth and his whole demeanour turned professional. "Set her down. Don't move her. How long has she been having the pains?"

Sideswipe looked as though he was about to have a panic attack, so Sunstreaker answered. "About three minutes. The sparkling was moving around in time to music a while ago."

Ratchet nodded and tapped on my sparkchamber. "Open, please."

I opened my sparkchamber, wincing at the effort it took to do so. Ratchet peered inside and ex-vented air. "It looks as though the sparkling is separating early. How did I not see it before?"

"Will she be okay?" Sideswipe took my hand and squeezed it, his optics flicking from the sparkling to my face.

"I'll be fine." I insisted weakly as I tried to sit up.

"Molly!" Ratchet roared, shoving me back down. "_Do not move!_"

I winced as another pain went through my spark, this one seemed to be worse than the rest before. "OW! Shit! That hurts!"

"Stay still." Ratchet insisted. "It's almost fully separated."

Sunstreaker patted my helm, barely disguising his clenched fists. Sideswipe, however, didn't even bother to try hide his panic. "They'll be okay, won't they? Please tell me they'll be okay?"

"Shut up!" Ratchet roared. He sent a pulse of love and support over our sparkbond, and it lessened the pain for a moment.

"Can you do that again?" I choked. Another pulse was sent, and it eased the pain again.

"What can we do?" Sunstreaker growled.

"Nothing." Ratchet said shortly, his eyes remaining on my sparkchamber. "You're not bonded with her."

Sideswipe's hand clenched around mine and Sunstreaker tightened his grip on my shoulder. "So we can't do anything?"

"Stay close to her so that the sparkling can feel your presence." He said, leaning closer suddenly. He swiftly sent another stronger pulse of support as another pain went through my spark.

It felt like a piece of my spark was being torn away, and I winced as I realised that was pretty much what was happening. "_OW_!"

"It's separated." Ratchet sat up in relief. "Thank Primus."

I could actually feel the tiny spark sinking down into my abdomen area, where my gestation chamber was. "I hate you guys." I smiled weakly. "I can't believe you just put me through that."

Sideswipe laughed in relief and Sunstreaker released his tense hold on me. Ratchet just shook his head. "Just wait until the birthing." He muttered under his breath.

"What's going to happen now?" Sunstreaker turned to him.

"The sparkling should have sank into her gestation chamber. It will stay there as its protoform is made. Basically, the nanites, along with metal that Molly's body may not be using, will form the basic body of a sparkling. I need to get you energon.." Ratchet trailed off, talking to himself as he made his way back to his office.

Sunstreaker turned to look at me and frowned. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, my hand drifting to rest on my abdomen. "That was painful."

Sideswipe squeezed my shoulder comfortingly, "Hey, at least it's over! Now all we have to do is wait!" He grinned and knelt so he was level with my abdomen. "Hey, sparkling. It's Daddy Number One again. How's it going in mommy's gestation chamber? Having fun? Your timing was a bit unfortunate, because _we_ were about to have some fun, but we can reschedule, no biggie."

I rolled my optics and smiled as Sideswipe patted my stomach plates carefully. I glanced up as Ratchet came out of his office, holding a bright blue energon cube. "Sparkling energon." He answered my questioning look. "It contains more supplements for you, so you-" he broke off suddenly, his optics fixed on my pelvis.

I glanced down at myself and flushed with energon when I realised I still had Sunny's bright golden yellow paint streaking across my interface panel. "Ummm..."

With what looked like an incredible amount of self-restraint, Ratchet said nothing and handed me the cube. "Please drink." He said in a forced civil tone, his hands clenching into fists at his side.

Sideswipe grinned sheepishly at him. "Hey, we never actually got to _do_ anything. The sparkling decided to detach right as we were about to-"

"I would rather not know." Ratchet growled. "It makes it easier to control my homicidal urges when you don't talk."

Sideswipe fell silent, glancing at his brother uncertainly. I drained the cube slowly, wincing at the bitter aftertaste. "Finished." I stood up to put the empty cube in the bin, but Sunstreaker snatched it out of my hand and brought it over to the bin as Sideswipe pulled me back on the berth.

"You're not meant to be doing anything strenuous when you're carrying, right Hatchet?" Sideswipe looked to my dad for support.

Ratchet scowled at the use of 'Hatchet', but nodded. "Indeed."

The fact that they actually wanted to help me during my 'pregnancy' almost made me cry. When I had been pregnant as a human, my husband Paul had barely lifted a finger to support or help me through it. He was rarely sober enough to remember I was pregnant, in fact. "Thank you." I whispered.

"No problem." Sideswipe patted my helm. "Let's go watch the end of the movie."

Ratchet narrowed his optics at him. "A movie? Is that what you were doing?" He looked pointedly at my yellow-streaked interface panel.

Sunstreaker pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Would you believe us if we said it was Bumblebee?"

Ratchet growled angrily, and Sideswipe held his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay! We'll be good, we promise!"

Ratchet glared at them, flicking his fingers to dismiss them. "Get out of my medbay."

Sideswipe grinned and looped his arm around my waist. "Okey dokey. Let's go, guys."

"I want her back first thing in the morning." Ratchet yelled after us as we left the room.

"Of course." Sunstreaker called back, smirking.

:•I mean it! I need to run scans to see how it's progressing!•: Ratchet resorted to the public comm. link.

Sunstreaker didn't bother replying, taking my hand instead and pulling me down the hall. Sideswipe grabbed my other hand and jogged after us.

"_I don't care what nobody says, we're gonna have a baby.._."

"Bumblebee?" I guessed as we turned the corner.

As I thought, Bumblebee was skipping up the hall. His optics lit up brighter upon seeing us. He pointed at my abdomen questioningly and tilted his head.

"Yeah. It separated successfully." Sideswipe grinned excitedly and patted my stomach area. Sunstreaker just nodded and stared at my gestation chamber for a moment.

Bumblebee reached out tentatively to poke my abdomen. The minute his finger made contact with my body both twins snarled dangerously. 'Bee whipped his hand back and smiled sheepishly at the twins.

"They're a bit edgy today." I said wryly. I elbowed both of them firmly. "You should apologise."

"Sorry." Sideswipe grinned awkwardly and Sunstreaker grunted.

Sunstreaker shifted impatiently. "We are actually going to bed now."

Bumblebee tilted his head and tapped his wrist. "Isn't it.. A bit.. Early... Don't you think?" A random mixture of radio clippings played from his radio.

Sunstreaker snorted derisively. "We're not going to _recharge_, Bumblebee."

'Bee's faceplates darkened with energon, embarrassment clear on his face as he caught sight of my yellow-streaked interface panel. He jerked his thumb awkwardly over his shoulder and began backing away down the hallway until he was out of sight.

"Finally." Sunny muttered and grabbed my hand, pulling me to their quarters again.

"Are we watching the end of the movie?" I asked, tilting my helm as the door slid open.

Sideswipe blinked. "We were planning on-"

"I know what you were planning on." I said dryly. "But I am extremely tired. I'd like to see you two have a sparkling separate from your sparks and sink into your gestation chambers. It was hard."

Sunstreaker hesitated, before patting my shoulder. "We know. And you did a great job. We're proud of you."

Sideswipe was at my abdomen again. "And we're proud of the sparkling, too! Yes we are! Didn't mommy do great, sparkling? She sure did!"

"We're sorry." Sunstreaker added.

Sideswipe looked up from my gestation chamber confusedly. "We are?"

"Yes," Sunstreaker gave him a look, "We know it would have been a lot easier and less painful had we been bonded with you. We just... Weren't ready for that. Not after..." Solstice. The name wasn't said, but it hung in the air.

"It's okay." I said softly, wrapping my arms tightly around him. I offlined my optics as I rested my head against him. I was so tired that I almost fell into recharge standing right there.

"Come on." Sunstreaker lifted me and carried me over to the berth. "Recharge." He said firmly as he lay beside me. His arm looped under my neck to support my head.

Sideswipe settled down next to my stomach area and began tracing small circles and other patterns over the sensitive metal. "It's still hard to believe that we have a sparkling in there."

"I get the feeling it's going to be just as much trouble as you two are." I smiled, relaxing into both of them.

"We are not trouble!" Sideswipe poked my stomach fondly, making me laugh.

I opened my mouth to respond, but there was a knock on the door before I could. Sideswipe sat up and swung his legs off the berth. "I'll get it." He said, walking over to the door and pausing before opening it. "Who is it?"

"Solstice."

We all froze and stared blankly at the door. "I think I should go.." I whispered anxiously.

Sunstreaker's arm wound itself around my waist and held me in place. "No." He said shortly.

Sideswipe opened the door manually, standing in the doorway and blocking the view into the room. "Sol. Where've you been?"

"I've been out, thinking." Solstice's sugar-sweet voice replied. "In fact, I heard the youngling was sparked."

"Molly? She's not a youngling."

Solstice ignored him. "It was a rumour of course, because she's too young to be sparked. But what really caught my attention was the fact that the creators were rumoured to be you and your twin."

Sideswipe was silent for a long moment. "Where are you going with this?"

"Where am I _going_ with this? I want to know why everybot on base seems to be convinced that you and Sunstreaker 'faced the little brat."

Sideswipe stiffened and his armour seemed to flare out a bit. "Don't call her that."

Solstice growled in frustration. "You were meant to be _my_ sparkmates! Why have you suddenly changed your minds?! Obviously the brat said something to you!"

"We didn't _suddenly change our minds_, Solstice! We already told you, this has been coming for a fragging while, okay?!" Sideswipe snapped, his easygoing nature seeming to disappear. "Why can't you get that through your thick helm?"

There was a faint sound of outrage, before she said, "Where's Sunstreaker? Maybe he might talk some sense."

"I doubt it." Sideswipe said shortly.

Solstice craned her head around him to see into the room. Her optics narrowed to almost slits. "Oh, I see. The youngling is with you." I scowled at her, but said nothing as she eyed me up. "So she _is_ sparked. Well, I suppose there has to have been a _reason_ for you being with her."

I glanced uncertainly at Sunstreaker, but he was glaring furiously at her.

She laughed at me abruptly, drawing my gaze back to her. "You hardly thought they were with you because they _liked_ you! You're not that special! They're with you because they think they _have to_ because of your bastard sparkling."

My optics widened at her in shock. Sideswipe growled dangerously as Sunstreaker stood up sharply and marched towards the door. "_Get out_." Sunstreaker snarled.

"We wouldn't have interfaced her if we didn't like her." Sideswipe pointed out with narrowed optics.

Solstice snorted. "You'd frag anything that holds still long enough. Clearly, that includes younglings. I pity your sparkling, I really do-"

Sideswipe had to grab Sunstreaker by the arm as the volatile golden mech lunged forwards with his blade drawn. "Get out of here." Sideswipe said, his voice strained with the effort of keeping his twin at bay. "Don't come back."

"I don't plan to." Solstice gave them dirty looks, before turning on her heel and storming down the corridor.

Sideswipe shut the door quickly, glancing apprehensively at Sunstreaker, whose optics were glowing white. "Sunny... Deactivate your battle protocols. She's gone, and everything's fine."

Sunstreaker hesitated. His optics darkened back to his ordinary azure colour. "Gone. Yes."

I watched them uncertainly as they seemed to communicate silently through their sparkbond. Solstice's voice seemed to echo around my head. _'I suppose there has to have been a reason for you being with her_'. The sparkling twitched within my gestation chamber. '_You hardly thought they were with you because they liked you'._

"Molly?"

I blinked my optics, refocusing on the twins as they returned to the berth to sit next to me. "Oh. Yeah?"

"You okay?" Sideswipe asked, eyeing me closely.

"Mhmm."

Sunstreaker huffed and fell back on the berth, staring vacantly at the ceiling. "I don't recall her ever being so...needy. Or cruel."

"Was she.. Um.." I began awkwardly, trailing off as I realised I didn't know how to phrase my question.

"Telling the truth?" Sideswipe guessed. "Not even a little bit. We didn't 'face you just for a frag. And we aren't here just because of the sparkling."

"Although it certainly helped." Sunstreaker pointed out dryly.

I half-smiled and rested my head on Sideswipe's shoulder. "Thank you." I whispered.

Sunstreaker took my hand, but said nothing for a long moment. "We should watch another movie."

I frowned at him. "At this stage, I'm really not even sure whether that's code for 'interface', or if you actually want to watch a movie."

Sunny's handsome face split into a rarely seen grin. "I meant actually watch a movie. We can interface either, if you want."

"Keep it in." I pointed a finger warningly at his interface panel. "I mean it. Not tonight."

He rolled his optics and dragged me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me. "Sideswipe, be a dear and go put on a new movie."

Sideswipe scowled at him. "Why can't _you_ do it?"

Sunstreaker looked incredulously at him. "Look at me. I'm lying down. Comfortably. Molly, who is carrying our sparkling, is also comfortable. I'm not going to move just to satisfy your petty desire to watch a movie. Don't be absurd."

Sideswipe scowled and huffed, before walking over to the TV to change the movie. As he searched for a good DVD, he muttered angrily. Somewhere in the middle of his angry mutterings, he changed moods as he began singing under his breath, so quietly that I had to strain my audio receptors to catch what he was saying, "To the windows, to the windows. To the walls, to the walls. And sweat drips down ma balls.."

I snorted as I lay my head in the crook of Sunny's neck. "He's ridiculous."

"I know." Sunstreaker said fondly, shaking his helm. "Aft-head."

"Oooh, how about this one? 'The Lion King'?" Sideswipe straightened up excitedly. "You know what, we're watching this!"

I settled back as Sideswipe bounded over and reclaimed his place beside me. "Have you never seen this movie?"

"Nope." Sideswipe grinned happily. "Is it good?"

I nodded and smiled. The sparkling moved slightly in my gestation chamber, and I rested my hand over my abdomen. For the first time, it felt like we were a family.

**review? :)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Yay, update! :D so, there's bonding in this chapter :) and sorta dad memories and stuff... yeah :) actually, a majority of this chapter is memories :P**

**so, does anyone have a Tumblr? :) my name is the same on tumblr as it is here :P**

"Molly? Are you awake?" A freshly re-painted Sideswipe nudged me.

I groaned and checked my internal chronometer. "Sides... It's half three in the morning..."

"I can't recharge." He whispered.

"Why not?" I was almost afraid to ask.

"I keep remembering Mufasa dying." He whimpered, burying his head into my shoulder.

I offlined my optics, willing myself not to laugh, before wrapping my arms around him. "Hey... It's alright.."

"No it's not.. Simba thought it was his fault!" He kept his voice low to avoid waking Sunstreaker. Sunny'd be pissed if we interrupted his beauty sleep.

I stroked Sideswipe's helm soothingly. It had definitely been a bad idea to let Sides watch the Lion King. Almost as bad as letting Bluestreak watch the Titanic. "C'mon, Siders. Everything turned out good, right? Simba fell in love with Nala, and had a cub... Remember?"

Sideswipe nodded slowly. "Yeah.. Yeah..."

I hesitated for a moment. "Do you want to talk to the sparkling? Will that make you feel better?"

Sides' face lit up and he slid down in the berth until his face was level with my abdomen. He rested his helm against my stomach area and smiled contentedly. "Hey, sparklet. It's Daddy Number One again. How's it going in there? I hope you're comfortable. Sorry if you're recharging, it's just that daddy can't sleep. Do you wanna know why? It's because me, Daddy Number Two and mommy watched the Lion King. It's a very sad movie. D'you wanna know what happens? Well, it's all about a young cub called Simba, who's next in line to be king of the pride. But his uncle, Scar, wants to be king. So basically, Scar.."

I smiled sleepily and leaned back as Sides outlined the entire plotline of the Lion King. A moment later, there was a small, grumpy growl from the golden mech beside me. "Please tell me he's not talking to the sparkling this early in the morning."

"He couldn't sleep." I said softly.

"Fraghead." Sunstreaker scowled. "Why couldn't he sleep?"

"I think the Lion King scarred him emotionally."

"You're fragging kidding me." Sunstreaker groaned, shoving his face into my neck. "What's he doing?"

Sideswipe had finished the plotline of the movie and was now singing to the sparkling. "Can you feel the love tonight? The world, for once, in perfect harmony with all its living things.."

Sunstreaker was less than happy. "Shut the frag _up_!"

Sideswipe simply resorted to singing louder. "Can you feel the love tonight? It is where we are! It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer, that we got this far- umf!" Sideswipe's song was cut short as Sunstreaker threw a canvas at him.

"Guys, cut it out." I sighed, shaking my head.

Sideswipe pouted. "I thought I was quite good."

"You were very good."

"See, Sunshine? Molly liked my song!"

"Don't call me that!"

"Was it that particular song you didn't like?" Sideswipe asked curiously. "I can do another one."

"Just recharge."

"To the windows, to the windows. To the walls, to the walls. And sweat drips down my- AH!"

Sunstreaker had leapt at Sideswipe and tackled him off the berth, clearly trying to throttle him.

I contemplated pulling them off each other, but then realised that would involve getting off the berth and that was entirely too much effort. "Sunny..." I said absently, cuddling back into the berth. "Don't hurt him."

There was silence for a moment, before both twins crawled back onto the berth. I raised an optic ridge as Sunstreaker lay back down beside me and Sideswipe went back to his place by my abdomen.

"What did you do?" I asked Sunstreaker.

"Disabled his vocal processors." He said absently.

I stared at him, before looking back to Sideswipe, who was pouting. "Was that necessary?"

"Absolutely." Sunny mumbled into the berth.

Sideswipe rolled his eyes, before staring intently at his twin.

It was only when Sunstreaker sat up and frowned at him that I realised they were talking through heir sparkbond. "What?" Sunstreaker asked, glancing at me out of the corner of his optics.

"What are you guys talking about?" I frowned.

Sunstreaker hesitated, before reaching out and pulling at a wire at Sideswipe's neck, enabling his vocaliser. Sides made a choking sound and touched his neck apprehensively. "Thanks a lot, Sunshine." He ignored Sunny dangerous growl, "We were discussing how we should interface now."

I blinked. "What?"

"No we weren't." Sunstreaker scowled at his twin. "This is serious."

Sideswipe rolled his optics, but his face became more serious. "Right. We want to sparkbond with you."

I waited for Sunstreaker to scowl at him and tell him to be serious again, but he just looked at me expectedly. "Seriously? Kinda.. Sudden.." Excitement started building up and I grinned.

Sideswipe nodded. "It'd be a nice surprise for Hatchet, don't you think?"

"Provided you want to." Sunstreaker added with a scowl. "Just know that we don't exactly offer this a lot."

I stared at them blankly as what they were saying finally registered. "Oh. Oh! Yes. I, um.. Yes, I want to."

"Good." Sunstreaker reached for me and pulled me roughly into a kiss.

Sideswipe grinned and slid behind me, pulling me up so I was pressed in between him and Sunny. He began kissing my neck cables tenderly.

I rested my hands tentatively on Sunstreaker's shoulders. Gently, he fingered the catches on my sparkchamber. "Open." He whispered into my mouth.

I did as he instructed and opened my sparkchamber. Sunstreaker pulled back and opened his too, and sounds of Sideswipe doing the same could be heard from behind me. "Memories are shared in a sparkbond." Sideswipe warned in my audio receptor. "Just so you know, a lot of our memories aren't exactly pretty."

"That's okay." I said breathlessly. A moment later, I registered what he had said. "Wait, memories?"

"Mhmm.." Sideswipe murmured into my neck.

"Before we.. Before we sparkbond, I have to tell you something." I said anxiously.

Sunstreaker leaned forwards and kissed me leisurely. "Okay."

I pulled back from the kiss and stared at him nervously. "Before I was.. Um.. No, hang on.. Okay. I was human once. But then I died _and-now-I'm-not-human-anymore-and-now-I'm-Cybertronian-and-please-don't-hate-me_!" I said it all at once. I sounded remarkably like Bluestreak.

Sideswipe laughed. He stopped laughing pretty quickly when he realised I wasn't joining in. "That was a joke, right?"

"Um.. No."

Sunstreaker was staring at me disbelievingly. "You used to be human? Ew."

I scowled at him. "Shut up. I.. Um... I was pregnant, actually. I had a husband, and-"

I was greeted by growls. "A husband?" Sunstreaker's lip curled up. "A human partner? Please tell me he didn't touch you."

I hesitated awkwardly. "Well, I was _pregnant_, so.."

Sunstreaker growled darkly. "Continue."

"Maybe it might be best if I show you through the sparkbond." I suggested. A flutter of unease and doubt crossed my mind, and I added "If you still want to.."

"Of course we do." Sideswipe said quickly. "I just.. Don't entirely understand what you're talking about."

"She's going to show us." Sunstreaker said, his spark emerging from its protective casing.

Sideswipe's did the same, and the two twin orbs hung side by side for a moment. My spark emerged as well, suspended next to theirs.

Sideswipe smiled and took my hand, squeezing it gently. All three of our sparks shifted forwards into each other, and began to merge until it looked like a single, large spark.

I gasped as memories that weren't mine flooded into my head.

_Two young Cybertronians sitting side by side in a dirty alley, gazing out into the street. They probably would have been comparable to human teenagers. The grey of their protoforms was grimy and smudged, and they looked almost identical, except for their helms._

_The one with audio fins turned to his twin. "We're almost out of energon, Sideswipe."_

_Sideswipe didn't look at him. "I know."_

_Sunstreaker looked down at his pedes. "What are we going to do?"_

_Sideswipe looked helpless. "I don't know. There has to be some way we can earn credits. The other mechs know a way. I've seen them buying energon."_

_Sunstreaker's young face darkened. "I've seen the way they get their credits, Sideswipe. I don't want to do that."_

_"We might not have a choice, Sunny." Sideswipe sighed._

_Sunstreaker rubbed his face tiredly, scraping off some of the grime that had dried in. "One day, when we have lots of credits, I'm going to be clean. Really clean. And I'm not going to let myself get dirty again."_

_Sideswipe smiled despite himself. "I'm going to make people laugh. 'Bots around here are too _serious_. It's depressing."_

_They both laughed and leaned on each other. Sunstreaker pursed his lips and glanced at his twin nervously. "You know.. There is an option we haven't considered yet."_

_Sideswipe looked up sharply, optics shining. "Really? What is it?"_

_Sunstreaker drew patterns in the ground. "Well... Remember that aft, Lightshot, was beating you up?"_

_Sideswipe grinned and nodded. "Yeah. And you stepped in and beat the unholy slag out of him." He laughed in delight, before tilting his head curiously, "What about it?"_

_Sunstreaker twiddled his thumbs. "Somebot told me I was a pretty good fighter."_

_"You are." Sideswipe nodded, beginning to look apprehensive. "I don't understand what-"_

_"The Pits." Sunstreaker said bluntly, cringing slightly as he awaited Sideswipe's reaction._

_"No. No! Sunny, you can't! Anybot that goes in there rarely comes out, and it's really dangerous and- you can't!"_

_Sunstreaker winced and looked down at his pedes again. "Some bot's make it big, Sides. Some get out, and have loads of credits! Remember our creator used to tell us about the gladiators in there?"_

_"We were sparklings." Sideswipe whispered in horror. "They were just stories, Sunny."_

_"They weren't! Remember he told us about Megatronus? He was the first gladiator to escape the Pits, and now he's rich and famous!"_

_Sideswipe shook his helm, optics wide. "Please, Sunny. Please don't. This is serious. We would be killed in the Pits within minutes!"_

_Sunstreaker clenched his jaw. "So? It's a better option than becoming a pleasure bot on the streets!"_

_Sides opened and closed his mouth desperately. "It's not what our parental units would have wanted." He insisted desperately._

_"Our parental units are gone!" Sunstreaker leaped to his pedes. "It's hard to know what they would have wanted for us!" _

_Sideswipe looked as though he were on the verge of tears. "They wouldn't want this."_

_Sunstreaker looked away. "If it keeps us alive, then it doesn't matter."_

_"How would it keep us alive, Sunny? We'd be murdered in the Pits!"_

_"And we'd die of energon depravation in the streets!" Sunstreaker put his head in his hands. "It's our only choice, Sides."_

_Sideswipe looked away, focusing on a dirty, grimy wall on the opposite side of the alley. "It doesn't mean I have to _like_ it."_

I took a short intake of air as that memory ended and another started up. This time it was mine, but it was like I was watching it through someone else's point of view.

_Two little girls were sitting on the floor of a bedroom, colouring with crayons._

_The little blonde girl looked up and smiled excitedly at her curly haired friend. "Look, Molly! I drew a princess!"_

_Her friend smiled back. "It's really pretty!"_

_The blonde girl nodded and smiled. "That's what I'm going to look like when I get married."_

_The little girl, a human me, widened her eyes. "Who are you going to marry, Bethy?"_

_'Bethy' smiled proudly. "A prince."_

_Mini Molly looked amazed. "Really? Wow!"_

_Beth nodded. "Mhm. And that means I'll be a princess."_

_"Can I marry a prince too?" Mini Molly asked excitedly._

_Beth pretended to think for a moment. "Well, you'd have to meet one first."_

_Mini Molly smiled and nodded. "I'm gonna marry a prince."_

The memory changed again, and I was impatient to see it was my memory again. I wanted to see what happened with the twins.

_A girl of around twenty was walking in the park with a man of the same age._

_"You straightened your hair." He commented, glancing at her shiny brown locks._

_The memory-me smiled up at him and nodded. "Do you like it?"_

_"It looks better than it normally does." The man nodded and looked away._

_The smile on memory-me's face flickered and she blinked. "Um..."_

_He rolled his eyes. "Lighten up, Molly. I was joking."_

_Memory-me smiled uncertainly. "Right."_

_"I was going to ask you something." The man continued, looking out across the pond._

_Memory-me smiled again, before her eyes widened and she took half a step back as the man knelt down in front of her. "Paul? What are you-?"_

_"Molly, I know this might be sudden, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you." he took her hand and squeezed it lightly. "I adore you, and I would love for you to be my wife. Will you marry me?"_

_Memory-me stared wide-eyed at him. Her mouth opened and and closed for a moment as Paul reached into his jacket and pulled out a small box. "Oh my god."_

_He opened the box to reveal a ring, and tilted his head to await memory-me's reaction. _

_Trembling fingers took the ring and stared at it, eyes wide in surprise. She slipped it on her finger and gazed at it, before lifting her head and laughing. "Yes!"_

_Paul grinned and got to his feet as she launched herself at him and hugged him tightly. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair. "We're going to be happy."_

The memory faded away, and I could feel.. _Jealousy_ coming from the twins. That almost made me laugh, but another memory swept over us.

"_Are you ready?" Sideswipe was watching Sunstreaker anxiously as he cleaned a glowing blade._

_"Yes." Sunstreaker answered shortly. He sounded calm, but his clenched fists showed his tension._

_"Sunny..."_

_"Don't tell me this isn't a good idea, Sides. I've heard it before." Sunstreaker snapped._

_Sideswipe fell silent. A moment later, a grey and silver Cybertronian stuck his head into the small, cramped quarters. "You're up next." He said gruffly, "Get out there."_

_Sunstreaker nodded once and stood, lifting his blade. He glanced at Sideswipe and took a cycle of air. "Wish me luck."_

_Sideswipe looked desperate, but nodded. "Good luck." Sunstreaker was almost out the door when Sideswipe added "Please be careful."_

_Sunstreaker nodded once, his face softening. "I will. Everything'll be fine."_

_And with that he was gone, leaving Sideswipe alone in the cramped, damp room._

The memory shifted again, this time showing Sunstreaker about to enter the arena.

_He stood nervously by the door, twisting the sword he held in his hand. _

_The mech beside him took one look at him and snorted. "First time?"_

_Sunstreaker nodded, clearly trying to hide his fear. Another mech to the other side eyed him up and down curiously. "Ain't ya a bit young?" He asked with a strong Polyhexian accent._

_"I've seen younger." The other mech shook his helm, clapping Sunny on the shoulder, "Don't worry, mech. You'll be fighting Betascore. He's already been in two fights this orn, so he won't be at his best. You have a chance, if you're good."_

_Sunstreaker nodded, but said nothing. The Polyhexian mech nodded and opened the gate leading to the battle ground. "Go ahead."_

_Sunstreaker took another cycle of air and stepped through the door. He blinked as he stepped out of the gloomy corridor and into the Colosseum-style arena._

The memory changed, and I almost growled in frustration as it switched back to my life. I didn't need to see what happened in my life, I had lived it!

_Memory-me was sitting on the couch in my old sitting room, talking on the phone. "-not home yet. He's not usually back until later... I just don't know what to do, Beth. It's happening more and more often. He goes out early and doesn't come back 'till late, and when he comes home he's drunk." Memory-me paused to listen as Beth replied over the phone. "I know... No, of course not. That's why I married him. I love him, Beth."_

_There was a clicking sound as the front door was unlocked. Someone stumbled in, knocking over a coat hangar._

_Memory-me said goodbye to Beth and put the phone down, jumping swiftly to her feet. "Paul, honey? Is that you?"_

_"Obviously." Paul scowled as he walked in unsteadily, grabbing at the wall for support. "Who else would it be?"_

_Memory-me's face fell as she realised he was drunk. "Oh. A-are you tired? Do you want to go to bed?"_

_Paul lifted his hand and memory-me flinched, but he just braced himself against the wall. "I don't.. I'm not.." He managed to slur, before promptly falling on his face._

_"Oh god." Memory-me ran to his side and pulled him up, supporting him and leading him to the bedroom. "Paulie? Are you okay?"_

_Paul groaned and rolled over, pushing absently at memory-me. "Go away."_

_Memory-me blinked in surprise, looking hurt. "Okay." She stood up and walked hesitantly to the door, glancing back at her husband on the bed. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay Paulie?"_

_Her only answer was a grunt, so she went back to the sitting room and curled up on the couch. She picked up the phone and stared at it, as though she were contemplating calling Beth again, but changed her mind and dropped the phone on her lap before curling up to sleep._

The next memory changed so quickly I almost didn't realise it wasn't my memory.

_Sunstreaker was sitting in a very cramped, filthy medbay. A med-bot was tending to one of the many tears in his armour. The most obvious difference between the street urchin Sunstreaker and the gladiator Sunstreaker was that he was now painted a vibrant, sunshine yellow instead of grimy grey._

_Sideswipe stood a little bit away, watching the medic intensely as he tended to his twin. Sideswipe had also painted himself - he was now the bright, cherry red that was so familiar. "You could have been killed."_

_Sunstreaker barely glanced up. "I had it under control."_

_Sideswipe clenched his fists, but refrained from saying anything further. Instead, he changed the subject. "It's not working."_

_"What's not working?" Sunstreaker still didn't raise his head._

_"You're fragged up idea of fighting in the Pits to earn credits! We still don't have enough to survive. We can only afford enough energon for one of us."_

_The medic stood up, finished with mending Sunstreaker, and left the room with his tool box. The twins were left in the silence. _

_Sideswipe sighed and rubbed his faceplates. "Maybe... Maybe I should fight too."_

_Sunstreaker's head finally shot up and he stared blankly at his twin. "You're kidding. You're the most anti-Pit mech I know."_

_"Like you said, there's no other choice!" Sideswipe said frustratedly._

_"I'll enter a big fight." Sunstreaker said, shaking his head at his twin. "I could get lots of winnings from that. You could go to the Academy in Iacon. You could make your own choices."_

_Sideswipe scoffed at him. "As if I'm going to leave you in this hole by yourself."_

_"Don't you think it would be better, Sides? You could do great. You're smart. You could have a chance."_

_"It wouldn't mean anything if you died, Sunny. I'm joining too_."

Another flurry of memories, several at once until one particular memory slowed down enough for us to see.

"_We don't belong here." Sideswipe murmured to Sunstreaker as he glanced uneasily around a gaudily decorated room. "We're gladiators, not soldiers."_

_"You were the one that wanted to come and see Optimus Prime." Sunstreaker answered through gritted denta as he looked around too. "He's over there. Go talk to him."_

_Sideswipe gave him a derisive look. "I'm not going to talk to a Prime on my own! Come with me."_

_Sunstreaker glared at him for a moment, but relented and allowed himself to be pulled over to where a familiar large blue and red mech was talking to others._

_They waited a moment until the others that Prime had been talking to dispersed before Sideswipe stepped forwards nervously and held out his hand. "Greetings, Prime. I am Sideswipe and this is my brother Sunstreaker."_

_Sunstreaker nodded coldly in greeting. Optimus raised an optic ridge at the two of them. "The twins that have been causing so much trouble in the Pits of Kaon?"_

_Sunstreaker smirked. "That's us."_

_"If the rumours are correct, you offlined a mech using just a copper wire that you pulled out of his back strut."_

_Sunstreaker nodded once. "He was about to offline my twin. I hardly had a choice."_

_Optimus tilted his head to the side curiously. "Hm. Such bravery is to be commended. However, the cause that such bravery is going toward is not as commendable."_

_"We know." Sideswipe said, smiling easily. "In fact, we heard you were recruiting soldiers for your own cause."_

_Optimus eyed him warily. "Soldiers. Yes."_

_"We'd like a chance." Sideswipe said seriously._

_Optimus look over them and nodded. "Everyone gets a chance. Training with my Second in Command starts in two orns-"_

_Sunstreaker snorted. "With all due respect, sir, we've been fighting for a long time. We don't need training."_

_"You may need more training than you think." Optimus said seriously._

_"We'll do it." Sideswipe said quickly, ignoring his brother._

_Optimus nodded. "I look forward to seeing you."_

_Sideswipe grinned as himself and Sunstreaker walked away. "We're getting out of those Primus-damned Pits, Sunny."_

_"Yes, and jumping straight into a war." Sunstreaker reminded him through a clenched jaw._

_"Little steps, brother." Sideswipe patted his shoulder. "Little steps."_

_Sunstreaker vented warm air and looked around the room. "I'm bored. Everyone here is old, and all they're doing is telling war stories that nobody cares about."_

_Sideswipe looked at his brother seriously. "Want to find someone to frag?"_

_Sunstreaker smirked as his optics fell on a blue and green femme standing a few feet away. "You read my processor."_

Another memory change, swift and clean.

_Memory-me sitting on a bed in a bedroom, staring helplessly at a pregnancy test. She shook it, as if hoping to change the reading. When it didn't change, she put her head in her hands and groaned. "Oh, god..."_

_"Molly! I'm home!" A slurred voice came from the hallway._

_Memory-me didn't move for a long moment, before finally getting to her feet and walking out to the kitchen, where Paul was staring blearily at a newspaper, clearly not taking any of it in. "Paul? I..um.. I need to talk to you, honey."_

_Paul grunted. "Okay."_

_Memory-me took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant." She cringed sharply, as if predicting what would happen._

_Paul had frozen. He slowly lifted his head to stare at her. "Excuse me?"_

_"W-we're gonna have a baby." Memory-me smiled nervously. "Isn't that great?"_

_Paul stood up sharply and went over to her, crowding her against the wall. "Great? How is it great? Have you been cheating on me?"_

_Memory-me's eyes widened hugely and she stared at him in shock. "Of course not! I would nev-"_

_Paul drew back his hand and smacked her across the face. Memory-me let out a pained gasp and fell silent, cowering against the wall. "How long have you been pregnant? Well? How long?" Paul leaned into her, glaring._

_"T-three weeks." She whispered._

_"Three weeks and you're only telling me now?" He roared angrily._

_"I didn't know!" Memory-me cried out. "I only found out there!"_

_Paul growled and hit her again, before turning away in disgust. "Get out of my sight."_

_Memory-me sobbed and ran for the bedroom. She flung herself on the bed and curled up, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself._

_An hour or so later, Paul came in and lay down next to her. He wrapped his arm around her and dragged her close to him, ignoring her attempts to get away. "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean it." Memory-me didn't move, clearly afraid of setting off his temper again, so Paul continued. "You forgive me though. You always do."_

_He stroked his hand through memory-me's hair, oblivious to the tears falling down her face._

The memory changed quickly again, back to the twins, to my relief. I had no desire to watch that part of my life again.

_Sunstreaker was recharging, optics offline and his entire body sprawled out on a berth. On top of him lay Solstice, smiling contentedly._

_Sideswipe sat on the other side of the room, staring intently at a painting that had clearly been done by his brother. It was of lower Iacon, and it was so beautiful and accurate it looked like a dream. Sideswipe looked away from the painting and glanced back towards his brother and Solstice._

_Solstice onlined her optics slowly, raising her head to look straight at Sideswipe. "Are you okay, sweetie?"_

_"Yes." Sideswipe said shortly, looking away._

_There was a soft sigh from Solstice. "You think I'm going to leave you. I'm not, sweetspark."_

_"Yes you will. Everyone does."_

The memories were changing so fast it was beginning to give me a processor ache.

"_I'm really sorry about your mom, Molls." Beth patted memory-me's back._

_Memory-me swallowed thickly and nodded. "Me too. I'll miss her."_

_Beth nodded and gave her a little smile. The smile faded suddenly as she stared at memory-me's neck. "Molls... What happened to you?" She reached out and touched her neck gingerly._

_Memory-me jerked away reflexively, hands coming up to cover her throat. "Nothing. I fell."_

_Beth stared at her. "You fell? On your neck?"_

_Memory-me nodded sheepishly and shrugged. "You know how clumsy I can be."_

_Beth narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. You seem to fall over a lot. You wouldn't have happened to fall on hands, would you?"_

_"Hands?" Memory-me looked bewildered._

_"Yeah. Only it looks hand marks around your throat." Beth observed, watching her closely._

_Memory-me tensed. "Does it really? Strange."_

_Beth narrowed her eyes again. "I don't believe you."_

_Memory-me clenched her jaw and glared. "My mother just died, Beth. I don't need this right now." She turned around sharply and walked away._

The memory changed sharply yet again, almost making me dizzy. I knew this memory. It was the memory of me dying.

The twins let out simultaneous snarls of fury when they recognised Barricade. I winced sharply as memory-me's fragile human body was crushed under the Decepticons ped. I didn't want to watch this. The memory changed to the Prime talking to me after my death. The memory seemed like it was in fast forward, and it ended sharply before shifting into a different memory.

_Sunstreaker pushed roughly past Jazz as he stormed down the hall._

_Sideswipe ran after him, smiling easily at Jazz as a way of apologising for his twin. "Sunny, wait!"_

_"Don't call me that. That's a sparkling name." Sunstreaker growled shortly._

_"Where are you going?" Sideswipe asked, jogging to keep up with his twin as he marched outside._

_"For a drive." Sunstreaker bit back. He transformed into his alt mode and sped off, ignoring Sideswipe as he did the same._

_The two drove for a few minutes, driving into the forest and dodging expertly around trees. Once they got far enough away to be satisfactory to Sunstreaker, they both transformed._

_Sideswipe leaned casually against a tree. "So. You gonna tell me why you went psycho at Prowl? We're gonna get monitor duty for orns."_

_Sunstreaker just scowled. "I hate this planet. I just want to be back on Cybertron."_

_Sideswipe nodded cautiously. "We all want to be back on Cybertron, Sunny." _

_Sunstreaker rubbed his face tiredly. "Yeah. I just.. I don't know."_

_"Well, there's no use moping about it," Sideswipe shoved his shoulder lightly. "You might as well jus-"_

_"Wait, be quiet." Sunstreaker frowned and looked around as a noise carried through the trees. "Did you hear that?"_

_"No. What are you-?'_

_"Shut up, you slagger!" Sunstreaker hissed as a wail pierced the air, "Do you hear that? What the Pit is it?"_

_Sideswipe's optics widened and he turned to stare in the direction the cry had come from. "It came from over there." Sides started walking deeper into the trees, searching for the source of the wail._

_He stepped into a small clearing, shoving a tree aside to get a better view. He froze when he caught sight of the tiny, metal being struggling to stand on its own two feet. "Primus, Sunny. It's- is that a sparkling?" his voice shook slightly._

_Sunstreaker shoved him aside. "What? Let me see." His optics widened as he saw the little robotic infant. "Well, frag me sideways. It _is_ a sparkling."_

_Sideswipe smacked his brother over the helm. "Don't curse in front of the sparkling!"_

_Sunstreaker glared at him, but before he could retaliate, the sparkling growled softly as it tried to sit up._

_Sideswipe's optics widened and he grinned, stooping to pick up the glowering sparkling. He rocked her gently from side to side, cooing quietly at her. _

_Her optics dimmed contentedly as she slipped slowly into recharge._

_Sunstreaker was watching Sideswipe with raised optic ridges, and smirked as Sides smiled softly at the sparkling. "Feeling paternal, Sides?"_

_The sparkling jerked back to awareness and Sideswipe scowled at his twin. "You aft, she was almost in recharge!"_

_"Hey, I thought we weren't allowed to swear in front of the sparkling! And how do you know it's a femme?" Sunstreaker leaned over the sparkling and eyed her curiously._

_"Because she's too pretty not to be a femme." Sideswipe cooed to the sparkling._

_Sunstreaker rolled his optics. "Whatever."_

The memory flow slowed, but didn't stop. Little memories filled in the spaces: the twins first training mission in the Autobots force, my first day of school, their first interface with Solstice (which I did _not_ need to see), my wedding with Paul, the twins leaving Cybertron, Beth and I in California, the twins landing on Earth, my hurt when the twins ignored me for Solstice, the twins' jealously and irritation when Mirage showed an interest in me, my joy when the twins didn't reject me and the sparkling, and lastly, the excitement we both felt at the acceptance of the sparkbond.

As the flow of emotions and memories stopped, I slumped forwards into the twins. Sideswipe caught me and rolled to the side, holding me close. Sunstreaker lay down on the other side and stroked my back struts. "So.. You were _actually_ a human." He said breathlessly.

"Yeah." I stared at the ceiling. "You had a horrible life on Cybertron."

"Yeah." Sideswipe shook his head at me. "I thought you were joking about the 'human' thing."

"Who was that _fragger_," Sunstreaker hissed the word like an irate cat, "that hurt you?"

I winced and laid my head against his shoulder. "He was my husband."

"That was your romantic partner?" Sideswipe demanded in horror. I could feel the shock pulsing through the new bond.

"He _hurt_ you." Sunny hissed.

I nodded and sighed. "Please don't start. I know how bad it is that I stayed with him."

Sideswipe buried his head in my neck, and Sunstreaker reached around me, clasping his hands over my gestation chamber. "At least you're away from him. No one will touch you again. Except us, of course. There will be an abundance of touching with us."

I laughed and relaxed against them. "I'm okay with that."

:•Molly.•: Ratchet sounded cautious, :•Why does something feel different with our bond..?•:

I stiffened. "Oh."

"What?" Sideswipe looked over me, panicked. Sunstreaker searched the newly forged bond carefully for any signs of pain. "What happened?"

"Ratchet wants to know why our sparkbond feels different."

The twins were silent for a long moment. "Frag."

:•Um... Different how?•:

There was a very obvious silence before Ratchet replied. :•They bonded with you, didn't they?•:

:•Um.. Yeah.•:

:•Why couldn't they have done that _before_ they sparked you?•: Ratchet demanded irately. :•Fragheads. I still don't want any interfacing, bonded or not. Any strain could be potentially dangerous for the sparkling.•:

:•um.. Okay.•:

Ratchet huffed, and I could imagine him shaking his head. :•Goodnight, sweetspark. Make sure they don't do anything that will make me want to hurt them any more than I already do.•:

:•Got it. Night.•:

"He's not going to kill you." I smiled and leaned into their embrace.

"He's not?" Sideswipe asked blankly. "Are you sure it was Hatchet you were talking to?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Sideswipe shrugged, before lowering his head to my abdomen. "Hey, sparkling! Your two daddies and mommy finally bonded! If granddaddy Ratchet ever tells you that we should have bonded before you were sparked, don't listen to him. And if anyone ever tells you that you were an accident, don't listen to them either. I mean, you were _technically_ an accident, I suppose, giving that you weren't supposed to happen. But we're so happy that you _did_ happen! I think we're going to have to come up with a name for you. Calling you 'sparkling' all the time is a bit weird, isn't it? Yeah, I think it is. Hmmm... It's hard to come up with a name when we don't know if you're a mech or a femme. How about.. Oh, can we call it Simba?" Sideswipe raised his head to grin at us.

I blinked owlishly at him. "Simba?"

"Yeah!" He nodded eagerly. "Simba!"

"Like from the movie we watched yesterday?" Sunstreaker frowned at him.

Sideswipe nodded, grinning like mad. "Isn't that a great name?"

"You want to name our sparkling after a cartoon lion in a human children's movie?" Sunstreaker stared at him.

Sideswipe's grin widened as he nodded. "Yeah! What do you think?"

"I'm going back to recharge." Sunstreaker offlined his optics and buried his head into my neck.

"But-"

"Shut up, Sideswipe."

**review? :)**


	31. Chapter 31

"Hey, do you know where the twins are?" I asked Bulkhead as he walked past. The large green mech just shook his head sheepishly and kept walking.

No one knew where Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were. I frowned and made my way to the med bay. "Daddy, do you know where- what.. What are you _doing_?"

My dad glanced up from where he was examining Wheeljack's open interface port. "Wheeljack, our resident idiot, managed to spill a strong acidic substance on himself. It ate away his lower abdomen and has corroded his interface array."

I looked at Wheeljack with a mixture of amusement and dismay. "'Jackie..."

Wheeljack scowled childishly. "It was an accident. Please don't tell anyone."

Ratchet growled, but didn't say anything to him. Instead, he turned to me and raised an optic ridge. "What is it, Molly?"

"I was just wondering if you know where the twins are." I said awkwardly, looking away and trying not to cause Wheeljack any embarrassment as my dad turned back to his interface equipment.

"Yes, I do." Ratchet said absently, taking some sort of salve and beginning to apply it to Wheeljack's interface array.

Wheeljack yelped loudly and jerked away. "It's cold!"

Ratchet's glare was so intense it looked as though it might cause more damage than the acid did. "My apologies. I didn't realise you wished me to warm my hands so as to make it more _pleasurable_ for you."

Wheeljack's face flushed as energon crept to his face. "That's not what I-"

Ratchet ignored him as he continued to put the salve on. I almost laughed as 'Jackie's face screwed up and he visibly tried not to jump away. "I believe they are with Prowl."

It was my turn to jerk in surprise. "What? What did they do?" I asked, startled.

"Why don't you ask them over your sparkbond? It's there for a reason." Ratchet muttered irritably as Wheeljack squirmed. "Stay still, you _imbecile_! You put yourself in this position, now you have to fragging deal with it!"

{Guys? Are you with Prowl?} I asked over the sparkbond. I loved the sparkbond. It felt so stable, so different from anything I had ever felt before. I had expected it to be somewhat like the parental bond Ratchet had with me, but I learned after that my bond with Ratchet wasn't all that strong because he wasn't my actual creator. The bond with the twins was so much stronger, and made me feel safe and happy and loved.

There was a pause. {Yeah.} Sideswipe sounded disgruntled. {He won't shut up}

{But what did you do?}

{Got you sparked up.} Sunstreaker answered. I could feel his irritation directed at Prowl.

I sent some confusion over the bond, and was answered by Sideswipe. {He seems to think it's his responsibility to make sure that we love you very much and aren't just with you for the interface, which we aren't, of course. He doesn't seem to believe us that we've only fragged you once. He also seems to be trying to give us parenting advice. It's all very creepy. Be glad you're not here.}

{Aw. That's so sweet.} I smiled at the thought of Prowl lecturing the twins about being good fathers.

{You wanna switch places?}

{Only if you want to sit in the med bay and watch Ratchet apply cooling salve to Wheeljack's corroded interface equipment.}

There was a moment of silence, before confusion, distaste, and amusement were passed down the bond. {The frag did he do this time?} Sunstreaker demanded derisively.

{Spilled acid on himself. Poor thing, it looks really painful.}

{And Ratchet is putting cream in his valve to make it all better? That sounds _extremely_ kinky. Is Wheeljack enjoying it?}

My face scrunched up. {I'm going to go now. Wouldn't want you missing too much of Prowler's lecture.}

{NO! Molly, don't-}

I blocked the conversation, smiling as feelings of outrage pushed through. I became aware that Ratchet was asking me something and I blinked stupidly. "What?"

Ratchet paused and scowled at me. "Were you listening to a word I said?"

I hesitated. "Um.."

Ratchet huffed irritably. "I asked you to pass me the clamp."

I picked up the tool and passed it to him. "I'm gonna go." I said quickly as my dad lowered the tool between Wheeljack's thighs.

Ratchet frowned. "Am I correct in saying that you are a medic-in-training? Stop being so squeamish."

I scrunched my faceplates up. "I'm sorry, I have no interest in Wheeljack's interface gear."

Ratchet ignored Wheeljack's face flushing again. "I dare say you've seen interface equipment before." He looked pointedly at my distended abdomen.

I scowled and put my hands over the bump. "That was different."

"Well, I can't get you _over-charged_, I need your assistance."

I frowned and edged over to them. "I didn't interface with them just because I was over-charged." I muttered as I stood beside my dad in front of Wheeljack.

"Hold his legs up." Ratchet instructed, "And I have no desire to know why you interfaced with them."

"How are- AH!" Wheeljack yelped as Ratchet yanked his legs in the air and had me hold them up. "Ratchet!"

"This is your fault, idiot. If you come to me again with an injury as ridiculous as this one, I will not fix you." My dad warned firmly.

Wheeljack scowled, but turned back to me. "How are you?" He gestured at my stomach.

I smiled at my abdomen. Since the sparkling had sunken into my gestation tank, its protoform had grown and the sparkling had gotten bigger. I could feel the bulk of it pressing against my gestation chamber, causing the malleable metal plates on my abdomen to stretch and my actual abdomen area to grow. "I'm good, thank you." I smiled at him over his legs.

He nodded and tilted his head at my abdomen. "Can I touch it?"

I held back a laugh and nodded. "Sure."

He reached out his hand and placed on my distended abdomen, staring at it with wide optics. "I was going to ask yesterday, but the twins growl whenever someone touches you."

"Just imagine what they'd do if they walked in and saw you with your interface equipment revealed while touching their sparkmate." Ratchet said dryly.

Wheeljack whipped his hand back so quickly it blurred. "I didn't-"

"He was kidding, 'Jackie." I assured him.

"Oh." Wheeljack nodded.

"I'm curious.. What were you making that caused _this_ to happen?" I looked pointedly at his acid-corroded torso and pelvis area.

He looked embarrassed about his injuries, but sat up eagerly. Ratchet growled and shoved him back down. Undeterred, Wheeljack looked excitedly at me from behind his battlemask, his audio fins flashing. "I'm developing a new weapon! I took the blueprints for regular plasma cannons, and I'm modifying them to be able to shoot acid. It would be quicker and far more effective. The only problem is-"

"It exploded on you." Ratchet interrupted bluntly.

"Yeah." Wheeljack said sheepishly.

Ratchet shook his helm before taking another tube of solvent. "This will either hurt or feel good. It depends on the 'bot."

Wheeljack looked startled. "Oh. Okay."

"Hold still."

"Nnngh."

I raised an optic ridge. "Alright. I think I'm actually going to leave now. Wheeljack's sexual noises are making me feel awkward."

"They're not se- nyah!"

"Bye!" I was halfway out the door before my dad tried to stop me. As I walked down the corridor to the rec room, I got a comm. from my dad.

:•Wimp•:

I laughed out loud as I felt the amusement coming from his side of the parental bond. :•I'm sorry, as much as I'm sure you're enjoying the view of 'Jackie's interface equipment, I'm sparkbonded. Remember?•:

A choking sound came over the bond. :•Molly! I'm not- don't be- you sound like the twins.•:

I laughed over the comm. link. :•I think they're influencing me•:

:•Hmmm. I never got to scan the sparkling.•: he sounded troubled.

I smiled as I entered the rec room. :•Dad, you've already scanned me twice today.•:

:•I know that. I just want to make sure. When you find the twins, tell them I want to talk to them.•:

:•Why?•:

:•I think it's time we had a father-son talk, don't you?•:

:•Not really. I'd rather you didn't kill them.•:

:•I wouldn't kill them, my dear. They're the creators of my grand-creation. Beating them until they fall offline isn't the same thing, of course•:

I was still smiling as I got my energon from the energon dispenser. I sat down on the couch and curled up comfortably, sipping on the energon.

"Fancy seeing you here, my darlin'."

I glanced up to see Jazz draping himself over the back of the couch behind me. "Hey, Jazzie." I laughed and rested my head against him.

"Me and 'Raj were wonderin' how ya were doin'." He said as Mirage appeared behind him, looking awkward.

I smiled at both of them. "I'm good, thank you."

Mirage peered curiously at my abdomen. "It's grown." He sounded surprised.

Jazz rolled his optics. "Of course it did. It's a sparkling, 'Raj. You _have_ seen a carrying 'bot before, right?"

Mirage stared blankly at him. "In the Towers, when the sparkling detached from the spark, the mech or femme wouldn't leave their quarters until it was born. And then the sparklings would be looked after in the nursery."

Jazz shook his helm. "That sounds suckish, man. Sparklings are fragging adorable."

"Then I am eager to see one."

Jazz grinned and wrapped his arms around my neck. "Me too. Molly's sparkling's gonna be super-adorable. Right Molzo?"

I raised an optic ridge at him. "Are you after something?"

"He's in a good mood because he won quite a substantial amount of high-grade." Mirage said dryly.

I narrowed my optics. "And how did you win so much high-grade?"

"Yes, Jazz." Mirage looked amused. "How _did_ you win your high-grade?"

Jazz hesitated. "Um... Remember the betting pools I told you about?"

"Yes."

"I won." He grinned sheepishly. "Isn' tha' great? We got together yesterday and.. Uh.. Yeah. We dealt out winnings."

I stared at him. "You won. What bet did you win?"

He grinned easily. "I betted the twins would 'face you tha' night when ya got over-charged, an' I betted they would break up with Solstice one month, three weeks and fourteen days after you interfaced."

My optics narrowed further. "And how could you have possibly guessed such a precise and accurate time?"

Jazz shifted and glanced at Mirage uncertainly. "Luck?"

"I think I'm going to have to have a talk with Prowl." I growled.

"No! Mollzers, you have no idea how long it took me to get him to tell me wha' his battle computer had worked out! Please! Don' tell him I used the information for a bet, please! He'll never talk to me again!" Jazz practically fell on me as he begged.

Mirage looked faintly amused. "Jazz wasn't the _only_ mech who bet, my dear."

I frowned at him. "Did you bet?"

Mirage hesitated. "Yes," he admitted at last. "It was after you told me our relationship would not work out, if that redeems me in any way."

"It doesn't."

Mirage nodded. "I didn't really expect it to."

Jazz grinned. "Everyone bet, Molly."

I frowned. "Everyone?"

"Almos' everyone." He amended. "Solstice didn' know, Optimus 'n' Prowl don' bet, an' obviously you didn' bet either..."

"What about the twins?"

Jazz hesitated. "They betted too."

"They-? What? When?"

"The day after yo' 'faced 'em." An amused smile appeared on Jazz's face. "I don' think they were too pleased when Solstice came back."

I scowled and leaned back. "I could be mistaken, but they looked extremely happy when they were with her."

"You shoulda seen how they acted to 'Raj when he was tryin' to court ya." Jazz sniggered.

Mirage smiled wryly. "Yes. They weren't too pleased."

Jazz's amused smile grew to a full-blown grin. "They sure weren't. Remember they almos' shot ya when ya came back from yo' "date"? Tha' was funny."

Mirage raised a single optic ridge. "I'm unlikely to forget that incident."

I lay back on the couch as the sparkling began moving in my gestation chamber. {I think we need to have a chat when you come back from Prowl's office}

{About what?} Sideswipe asked warily.

{A number of things. The first thing would obviously be the bet}

There was a long silence. {I blame Sideswipe} Sunstreaker said finally.

{Wh-? It was not just me! You are equally to blame for this!}

{I was not the one who-}

I tuned them out as they started to argue, and instead turned my attention to my abdomen, where the sparkling was beginning to nudge against the walls of the gestation chamber. I ran my hand over the bump in my abdomen.

"Whatcha doin'?" Jazz's voice captured my attention. "Is the li'l guy okay?"

"The sparkling is fine." I smiled reassuringly. "Just stretching."

"No way!" Jazz leapt off the couch and knelt down beside me, his head level with my abdomen. He stretched his finger out and poked me hesitantly. He glanced up at me questioningly, and at my nod he placed his hand on my stomach area. He grinned as the sparkling kicked again. "Hey, buddy!" He laughed.

I smiled as the sparkling kicked again in response to Jazz's spark signature. I could tell that it could sense that Jazz wasn't its creators, but it seemed determined to say hello anyway. It kicked again when Mirage edged over and laid his hand next to Jazz's. Mirage's lips quirked up in a smile. "It's rather active."

"I know." I laughed. "It's excited."

"Do you know if it's going to be a mech or a femme yet?"

"No, not yet." I smiled. "Soon."

{Where are you, princess? Prowl set us free!} Sideswipe practically sang across the sparkbond.

{In the rec room} I replied. Out loud, I said. "Maybe you should stop feeling my tummy."

Jazz looked up curiously. "Why? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. The twins are comin-" I hadn't even finished my sentence before Jazz and Mirage had jumped away. I stared at them. "Guys. I'm not poisonous."

Jazz grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, li'l lady. Don' wanna be killed. I'm still young."

The twins came in before I could reply, and made a beeline straight for us. Sunstreaker eyed Mirage up and down warningly before turning to me. {Are you okay?} he asked over the sparkbond.

I smiled up at him. "Of course. How was Prowl?"

Sunstreaker scowled and Sideswipe laughed, picking me up off the couch and laying down on it himself, before pulling me up to lie on top of him. "He gave us a datapad with a guide on how to be good sires."

I burst out laughing and leaned back into his shiny red chassis. "Really?"

"Yeah." Sideswipe grinned. "I asked him how long he'd been carrying it around in his subspace, but he just threatened me with brig time."

Jazz had a strange look on his face. "He had it in his subspace?"

"Yeah." Sideswipe glanced up at him and raised an optic ridge. "Why?"

Jazz shook his head, frowning thoughtfully. "He had it when we first found out Molly was sparked. I didn' realise he'd kept it in his subspace."

Sunstreaker rumbled and lay down next to me and Sideswipe. It was a small space, so he lay with half of his body under mine. "You're sure you're okay?"

I rolled my optics at him. "Yes. I'm fine, I promise."

Sideswipe's arms winded around me and his hands rested on my very swollen gestation chamber. "And how's my little sparklet?"

{_Our_ little sparklet} Sunstreaker corrected over the bond.

Sideswipe gave no sign of hearing him. I smiled absently. "Fine. It was moving around earlier."

Sideswipe sat up, pushing me gently off him. "Really?" He gazed down at my abdomen as his hands rubbed my gestation chamber. "Hey, buddy! How're ya doin' in there? Are ya gonna kick for Daddy Number One?"

The sparkling began nudging at the edge of my gestation chamber, the same as it had when Jazz and Mirage had been saying hello. I grinned and the elated look on Sideswipe's face. He looked up at his twin and nodded to my abdomen. "The sparkling's moving around the place."

Sunstreaker reached out and placed his hand beside Sideswipe's. He blinked in surprise when the sparkling kicked. "It's strong."

"Of course it is." Sideswipe grinned. "We have a macho sparkling."

Jazz snorted in amusement. "I can't wait to meet the little tyke."

Sideswipe nodded in agreement. "I'm gonna be a sire." He said, sounding mildly awed.

Sunstreaker said nothing, but I could feel that he was feeling the same way through the sparkbond. I glanced up and blinked in surprise when I saw Jazz was heading for the door. "Jazzie? Where are you going?"

Jazz hesitated and glanced back, forcing a smile. "I'm just goin' to find Prowl."

I frowned as he left the room. "Is he okay?"

"I'm sure he's fine." Sideswipe said dismissively.

Unconvinced, I opened my comm. link. :•Jazz? You okay?•:

:•O' course, baby girl. I'm fine.•: Jazz replied immediately. :•I just gotta see Prowler is all.•:

:•You left in a rush...•: I pointed out as I watched the twins pat the bulge in my stomach plates.

:•I was very eager to see him.•: Jazz replied calmly.

:•Right.•: I remained unconvinced.

Jazz sighed through the comm. link. :•I just wanna know why he was carryin' tha' datapad aroun' with him. As far as I know, he doesn' even have carrier codin'. An' he doesn't have a mate either.•:

:•Are you hoping to change that?•:

There was a moments silence. :•Change what?•:

:•The fact that Prowl doesn't have a mate•:

:•Molly•: Jazz growled warningly.

I laughed out loud. :•Sorry. Not my business, right? I still expect to know what happens between you and him, though.•:

Jazz hummed over the comm. link. :•I seriously doubt anything'll happen, baby girl.•:

:•Still.•: I smiled at Sunstreaker, who was watching me curiously.

"Are you talking to Jazz?" He asked out loud, sitting up straight so he was level with my face rather than my gestation chamber.

I nodded and leaned into his chassis. "Yeah. I was just wondering where he was going."

Sunstreaker wrapped his arms protectively around me and nodded. A moment later, a message from Jazz pinged in my HUD. I opened up the file and viewed it. I laughed suddenly as I recognised the familiar picture. It was the crayon drawing of Prowl and Jazz holding hands that I had drawn when I was a sparkling. :•You kept it?•:

:•O' course.•: he replied evenly. :•How could I get rid o' it? I'll talk to ya later, I'm just goin' into Prowler's office now•:

I turned and grinned at Sunstreaker, who raised an optic ridge at me. "Remember when I was a sparkling?"

Sunstreaker looked vaguely amused. "Of course. We spent almost every waking moment with you."

"Remember that pretty picture I drew?"

Sunstreaker thought for a moment, but it was Sideswipe who turned and said "The one that almost made Prowl glitch?"

I nodded and sent all three mechs the file. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker snickered as they looked at it, and Mirage, who hadn't seen it before, stared at it bemusedly. "You drew this?"

"Yeah." I laughed, leaning back against Sunny.

"Where?"

"On the floor of the main hangar."

A smile crossed his face and he laughed quietly. "Prowl must have been surprised."

Sideswipe snickered and hugged my legs. "Thought he was going to kill her."

I smiled and opened my mouth to speak, but the sparkling kicked at that moment so all that came out was "I kn-agh!"

"What?!" Sideswipe panicked, searching the bond for my source of pain.

I waved away his worry. "Just the sparkling kicking."

Sideswipe's face lit up and he bent down to my abdomen. "Hey, Simba! Are you kicking mommy?" He began rubbing soothing circles over the metal plates that covered the gestation chamber.

Mirage tilted his head curiously. "What did you call the sparkling?"

Sideswipe grinned and looked up. "We called it Simba."

Sunstreaker punched his twin. "We are not naming it Simba!"

"Why not?! Simba is a great name!"

I buried my face in my hands. "Sides..."

"Do you think Prowl would like to see the picture again?" Sideswipe changed the subject remarkably quickly.

Sunstreaker smirked. "Of course he would."

"Guys, don't-"

"Sent." Sideswipe interrupted.

I sagged slightly. "Of course it is."

Sideswipe grinned and jumped to his feet. "C'mon! Let's go see if he glitched!" He reached down and pulled me up next to him.

Mirage frowned disapprovingly. "I believe Ratchet specifically warned you against straining Molly physically."

"We're just walking down the hallway." Sideswipe pointed out. He didn't wait for Mirage to reply as he pulled me towards the door, Sunstreaker following close behind. He began swinging our arms as we made our way down the hallway, humming quietly under his breath. The closer we got to Prowl's office, the louder he hummed. By the time we reached the door to the office, he was singing loudly, causing Sunstreaker to grind his denta together.

:•Molly?•: my comm. link flickered to life and Jazz's voice echoed over it, sounding startled. :•Prowl jus' glitched, an' Ratchet is busy. Could you-•:

:•Already outside•: I assured, tapping in the access code and stepping inside.

Jazz glanced up from Prowl, who had fallen on the floor, in surprise when we came in. "You were waitin' ou' there?"

I shook my head. "We were in the rec. room, Sideswipe just wanted to say hello."

{How did you know the access code to Prowl's office?} Sideswipe asked curiously through the bond.

{I know most codes. I'm a trainee medic, remember?}

Sideswipe grinned evilly. {Excellent.}

"I don' know wha' happened. He was jus' tellin' me abou' a couple'a new Autobots who're gonna be arrivin' sometime in the next few weeks, an' he just twitched an'-"

"New arrivals?" Sideswipe raised an optic ridge.

I glanced up from Prowl. "Really?" I asked, inserting a reboot cable into the back of Prowl's neck. I started up the reboot process as Jazz nodded.

"Yeah. We don' know who they are yet, though." Jazz tilted his head at Prowl as his optics flickered slightly. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine." I unplugged the cable as the reboot completed itself and Prowl's optics powered on.

Jazz knelt beside Prowl. "You okay?" He asked, helping him to stand.

Prowl nodded, catching sight of the twins. His face morphed into a glare. "Get out, please."

The twins looked offended. "We brought Molly to you!" Sideswipe protested. Sunstreaker just scowled and crossed his arms.

"That is very much appreciated, but it was your fault my logic circuits shorted out." Prowl frowned severely at him. "Please leave."

Sideswipe scowled. "Fine. Let's go, Molls."

"Actually, I wish to speak to Molly."

I raised an optic ridge at him. "About what?"

He gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Please sit."

I hesitated, but sat down. Sunstreaker glared at Prowl. "Why do you want to talk to her?"

Prowl frowned irritably, but Jazz answered for him. "He jus' wants to talk. I'll make sure ya get yo' girlfriend back."

"It's fine." I assured when neither of the twins budged, "I'll see you later." The twins nodded hesitantly and began towards the door. They were almost gone before I remembered what Ratchet had said. "Oh! My dad wants to talk to you!"

Sunstreaker turned and frowned. "We're not getting another lecture from Ratchet, are we?"

Prowl scowled at him. "I did not lecture you, I simply-"

"What does Ratchet want?" Sideswipe asked, peering back around the doorframe.

I shrugged. "He just said he wanted to have a chat with you." I said. The twins shared a wary look before nodding to me and leaving the room.

Prowl sat behind his desk and clasped his hands. "Molly... I wished to talk to you about your sparkling."

My hands twitched over my gestation chamber subconsciously. "What about it?"

Jazz took a seat next to me and grinned as Prowl continued to talk. "Well, I'm sure you realise that having a sparkling is a huge responsibility." He saw my frown and held up a hand quickly. "Not that I'm worried about you dealing with such a responsibility. It is the twins I am concerned about."

Jazz looked faintly amused as I frowned deeper. "I thought you had a talk with them."

Prowl narrowed his optics. "You say that like you think it will have made a difference to them."

"I can hope." I sighed. "What exactly did you want to talk about the sparkling?"

"Do you think the twins are ready for such a responsibility?"

I hesitated. "I'm not sure. I gave them a choice, you know. They chose the sparkling."

"I realise that, but I don't think they know what raising a sparkling entails. They have yet to be informed about the recharge-less nights, the demands, the whining, the feeding, the-"

"She gets the point, Prowler." Jazz inserted.

Prowl glanced to him, then nodded. "Of course. I'm just saying that it's a big job. I can assure you that everybot on base will help in anyway necessary to make things easier on you."

"Prowl, I appreciate it, but I couldn't ask people to-"

"I said nothing about asking." Prowl interrupted. "I'm a superior officer. They generally have to do as I say."

I couldn't help but laugh, even though I knew he wasn't kidding. "Thanks, Prowl."

Prowl nodded and glanced at Jazz. "Is there anything you wish to add, Jazz?"

Jazz's gaze fell on my stretched abdominal plating. "If ya need any help with anythin' yo' can ask me. Bu' I think ya knew that already".

I smiled and nodded. "Of course. Thank you."

Jazz petted my helm fondly, glancing up to Prowl. "Can ya believe baby girl's all grown up? Seems like only yesterday she was drawin' pictures on the floor of the base."

Prowl's optic twitched. "Yes." He said shortly.

Jazz grinned at him. "C'mon Prowler, you love tha' picture really."

Prowl narrowed his optics at the saboteur. "My door wings are completely out of proportion." He sniffed.

"I was a sparkling! I think it's pretty good!" I protested.

"I look great in it." Jazz nodded thoughtfully.

{Please save us} Sideswipe begged over the sparkbond abruptly.

{What's wrong? Is my dad hurting you? What happened?} I panicked, tensing as I waited for his reply.

{He's not hurting us, or giving out.. It's worse. He's talking about how we need to take responsibility and how he's looking forward to being a grandsire and how we have to make sure we raise the sparkling properly... It's really scaring me.}

I blinked my optics. {Well... Listen to him. If he isn't hitting you, then the conversation is serious}

{We'd be able to take it more seriously if Wheeljack wasn't in the corner with his legs in the air} Sunstreaker grumbled.

I winced. {He's still there? Poor thing}

{He's an idiot. And don't say he's not,} Sunstreaker said before I could reply, {Ratchet agrees with us}

I glanced up at Prowl and Jazz and smiled. "I'd better get going, if that's all you wanted to say."

Prowl blinked, then shook his head sharply and picked up a datapad. "No, I have a list of things I wished to discuss with you about the raising of the sparkling."

Jazz covered his face and shook his head. "Prowler... She has t'get back to the twins."

Prowl frowned and glanced back to his datapad. "I suppose we could arrange another appointment for our chat."

"Right." I nodded slowly.

"There is much to be arranged..." He said thoughtfully.

"Arranged? Like what?"

"Sparkling-proofing the base, informing all mechs the proper behaviour around sparklings, organising materials such as sparkling energon, we will need to get you and the twins a larger room, of course..." Prowl sighed and set his datapad down. "We will begin the planning tomorrow. When the new arrivals reach Earth, they can help with everything."

"Ya never mentioned who's arrivin'." Jazz leaned forwards.

"Only one mech has been confirmed so far." Prowl grimaced. "We're having the humans build a large warehouse a little bit further away from the main hangar than the other buildings are."

"Who is it?" I asked confusedly.

"Grimlock." Prowl rubbed his forehead tiredly.

Jazz looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or look horrified. "But tha' means the other Dinobots are close b'hind."

Prowl nodded grimly. I looked back and forth between the two of them. "Dinobots?" I giggled. "That sounds like a weird cross between a dinosaur and a robot."

Both 'bots stared blankly at me. "Don't you know what a Dinobot is?" Prowl raised an optic ridge.

My smile faded and I blinked at them. "Um... No."

Jazz held back a laugh. "Their alt modes are dinosaurs, princess."

I blinked at him. "What?"

"They arrived on Earth in Prehistoric times. They scanned the organic creatures in an attempt to fit in so they could attack Shockwave."

"I though' it was Soundwave." Jazz frowned.

"It was Shockwave."

"Are you sure?" Jazz pressed.

Prowl hesitated. "Yes." He said uncertainly.

"So dinosaur robots are coming?" I grinned in delight. "That is so cool!"

Prowl and Jazz shared a look. "Wait 'till ya meet them, Princess."

Prowl frowned at Jazz. "Molly won't be meeting with them."

I blinked at him. "Why not?"

"You're sparked." Prowl pointed out.

I placed my hands over my abdominal plating. "Yes. Yes, I realised that."

"We are not letting Dinobots near a sparked Autobot. The idea is simply-" Prowl looked like he was about to crash again, so Jazz jumped in.

"Don' worry, yo' got the twins to protect ya."

I nodded. "Speaking of the twins, I'd better save them from my dad. I'll leave you two _alone_." I grinned suggestively at them as I headed for the door, causing Prowl to splutter and Jazz to laugh.

"See ya later, Molly."

The door closed behind me, and I made my way swiftly to the medbay. {You still okay?}

{Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bor-}

{I get the point, Sideswipe}

I palmed the medbay door open and walked in, smiling sympathetically at Wheeljack in the corner. "Hey, 'Jackie. Where's-"

"They're in Ratchet's office." Wheeljack said mournfully, looking over at me from around his legs, which were still straight in the air. "Ratchet dragged them in there because he said it was hard to take anything they talked about seriously when I was sitting here with my legs over my head."

"Maybe you should lower them..." I suggested uncertainly.

Wheeljack nodded. "Yeah, I thought so too. But Ratchet told me to keep them high as the salve dries on my.. Um.."

"I know," I assured him, "But I'm sure it's dry now."

Wheeljack nodded sheepishly. "I think it is."

"So.. Maybe you should lower your legs."

"I would, but.. Ahem... I can't. I think my joints have locked."

I stared at him in dismay. "Oh, Wheeljack... Hang on." I walked over to where he was lying down on the medical berth and caught hold of his legs. "This might hurt a little bit, okay?" I didn't wait for an answer as I yanked his legs down with all my strength.

He howled in pain. "You said it might hurt a _little_ bit!" He roared, curling up and rubbing his hip joints.

"I'm sorry!" I winced.

"What the frag did you- oh, Molly." Ratchet stopped in the door of his office. "I though Wheeljack did something stupid again."

Wheeljack whimpered. "That hurt."

The twins appeared behind Ratchet, peering into the medbay. Sideswipe grinned evilly. "Damn, girl. What'd you do?"

"Joints.. were locked." Wheeljack gasped out. "Painful.."

I smiled sheepishly. "His joints were locked from keeping his legs in the air for so long. I unlocked them manually. He's in a bit of pain."

Sunstreaker looked reproachfully at Ratchet. "You said there was no danger in him keeping his legs up for so long."

"I said there would be no lasting damage." Ratchet corrected.

"I was wondering if you were finished talking to the twins." I turned to my dad. "I'm tired, and I'd kind of like to go to bed."

Ratchet frowned slightly. "I wasn't... Do you really need them in order to go to berth?"

I nodded. "The sparkling gets restless when it can't sense it's creators."

Ratchet huffed. "Alright. Wait." He turned back into his office, shoving the twins out as he entered. He emerged a few seconds later with a cube of energon. "Drink this."

I eyed it for a moment, before downing it swiftly. I almost choked at the taste. "Jesus. What the hell is this?"

"Energon with additives for the sparkling." My dad answered calmly, taking back the empty cube.

Sideswipe skipped up beside me and kissed my cheek arch. "Ready to go?" He asked. I smiled and nodded, and he turned his attention to my abdomen. "And what about you, Simba? Are you ready to go?"

Ratchet stiffened and turned from where he had been looking over Wheeljack's injuries. "Did you just call the sparkling Simba?"

"That's its name." Sideswipe nodded.

Sunstreaker growled his frustration as he stalked over. "We are not calling our sparkling Simba!"

I held back a sigh as the argument started up. "Guys, c'mon..."

Sunstreaker rolled his optics and headed for the door. "I refuse to discuss this, Sideswipe. We're not calling the sparkling Simba."

"Molly agrees with me!"

I purse my lips. "Sides, I don't-"

Sideswipe interrupted my disagreement by pressing a kiss to my mouth. One hand came up to cup the back of my neck and the other gripped my waist. My optics widened in surprise, but I didn't pull back. Sideswipe seemed to take this as encouragement, and pressed his glossa into my mouth.

There was a loud clang as a wrench collided with the back of Sideswipe's helm, and he drew back from me with a pained yell. "Ow! What was that for!?"

Ratchet growled furiously. "Hands OFF my daughter."

Sideswipe gestured wildly at himself and his twin. "We bonded to her! We fragged her! She's having our sparkling! And now you're saying I can't even kiss her?!"

Ratchet looked as though he was having some kind of internal conflict. "Just.. Not in front of me. I find it difficult enough to accept already."

Sunstreaker raised an optic ridge, but nodded and grasped my hand. "Sideswipe, let's go." He jerked his head towards the door.

Ratchet sighed and turned back to Wheeljack, who was still curled up on his side. "Make sure she gets a proper cycle of recharge. Her body and the sparkling needs it."

Sunstreaker nodded in understanding, pulling me and Sideswipe towards the door. I glanced behind me at my dad and smiled. "See you tomorrow?"

"Good night, my dear." Ratchet smiled sadly.

I smiled at Wheeljack. "Bye, 'Jackie."

Wheeljack just whimpered and clutched his hip joints.


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey guys. So, I'm starting my exams on Monday... Fun stuff. Unfortunately, it means I won't be able to update for a while. I'm really sorry, and I hope you guys'll stay patient :) you're the best :D please review if you can xx**

"It's scary." Jazz commented, watching the computer screen intently.

I laughed. "Don't be silly."

"How does she even move like tha'?" Jazz had overheard two of the male soldiers discussing Shakira, and had decided to look her up on the computer in the rec room.

I giggled. "I don't know. Practice?"

Jazz frowned and leaned forwards intently. "It's weird. C'n all human femmes dance like tha'?"

I shook my head. "No, we c- they can't."

Jazz didn't seem to notice my slip; he was too intensely focused on Shakira moving her hips. "It's mesmerisin'."

I snickered at the look on his face. "Someone has a crush."

Jazz grinned sneakily, his optics never leaving the screen. "I don' have a crush, I'm simply admirin' her body."

"Do you admire Prowl's body?"

Jazz cuffed me over the helm without glancing up. "Watch it, li'l lady."

I laughed at him, relaxing into the seat in front of the computer next to him. "Just a question, Jazzie-bear."

Jazz tore his optics away from the screen to roll them at me. "Yo' ridiculous."

"I think it's the sparkling." I grinned, my hands drifting down and resting on my abdominal plating.

Jazz laughed and shook his helm. "Don't you be usin' an innocent sparklin' as an excuse."

I grinned. "Innocent? Have you _met_ the creators?"

Jazz grinned in return, his optics drifting back to Shakira. I rolled my own optics at him, causing him to laugh. "I can't help it! It's so distractin'!"

I grinned and glanced around, catching sight of Bluestreak staring at something. I craned my neck to see what he was staring at, and raised an optic ridge upon seeing Laurie talking with the same man she had been with a couple of weeks ago. :•You okay, Blue?•:

Bluestreak jumped violently in surprise, whirling around in his seat to look around. He relaxed minutely when he saw me, but remained tense. :•Oh. Hi Molly. I'm fine, thank you. How are you? Your gestation chamber looks like it's grown. That's good, it means the sparkling must be ready to come out soon, right? That-•:

:•How come you were staring at Laurie?•:

Bluestreak sputtered to a stop, optics growing wide as he stared blankly at me from across the room. :•What? I wasn't. Because that would be creepy.•:

I raised an optic ridge at him. :•Mhmm.•: I hummed disbelievingly. Bluestreak blushed and looked away. I smiled sympathetically at him. :•Talk to her.•:

Bluestreak shook his head sharply. :•No, no, no, I can't. I wouldn't, I mean, if she's happy with him, because-•:

:•Just talk to her, Bluestreak.•: I said firmly.

Bluestreak hesitated. :•I will.•: he relented, before hastily adding :•Not now. Later.•:

Jazz tapped firmly on my shoulder. "Moll, are ya comin' to the main hangar with me?"

I blinked at him, cutting the comm. link with Bluestreak. "The main hangar? Why?"

"'Cause Prowler says there's an Autobot signal incomin'. He thinks it's gonna land somewhere in Norway." He said it calmly, but his excitement shone through his optics.

I smiled. "Sure." I gripped the back of the chair tightly as I struggled to my feet. A concerned look morphed Jazz's features into a frown, and he grabbed my elbow, pulling me gently into a standing position. I smiled at him, ignoring the fact that my leg and hip joints protested against having my weight put on them. "Thank you."

Jazz nodded and retracted his hand, keeping a wary optic on me as he led the way out of the rec room. The entire walk to the main hangar was filled with Jazz's cheerful chat. He was still talking about Shakira when we made our way over to Prowl, who was standing next to Ironhide at the monitors. "Prowler!" Jazz beamed and bounced over to him.

Both Prowl and Ironhide turned at Jazz's call. Ironhide quirked an optic ridge, looking decidedly amused as Jazz wrapped an arm around Prowl and started chatting. Turning his gaze on me, Ironhide's optics widened as they fell on my abdomen. "Primus, you've gotten huge."

I scowled. "Wow, thanks 'Hide."

Ironhide just stared blankly at my abdominal seams. "It looks like you're about to split open."

I struggled not to feel offended by that as my arms wrapped protectively around my body. "It does not! The sparkling is just sturdy."

Ironhide blinked dubiously. "Kid, I've seen a lot of sparked mechs and femmes. I've never seen one as small as you with such a huge bump that's been able to move."

"Wha's tha' mean?" Jazz asked curiously, pausing in his conversation with Prowl.

Ironhide snorted. "It means that the sparkling is coming pretty soon, right kid?"

I hesitated, before shrugging sheepishly. "Ratchet said maybe sometime within the next week or two."

Jazz's optics brightened. "The next week? That's soon... it's gonna be a femme." He nodded with conviction.

I frowned slightly. "Why do you think it's going to be a femme?"

Jazz glanced once at Prowl. "Um... Lucky guess?"

I sighed as Prowl shot Jazz a look before turning back to the monitor and pointing out a blipping dot. "This," he began, "is the first arrival. They should land somewhere in the outskirts of Oslo, Norway. These," he pointed at several dots behind the first one, "will follow. I have calculated that they will all have landed in approximately one and a half earth hours. We must dispatch, now. Jazz, collect Hound, Mirage and Bluestreak and have them wait on the human transport planes. Ironhide, notify Prime and get Ratchet ready in case there are casualties." Both mechs nodded and headed off at Prowl's orders. He turned to me. "Your orders are to rest. I mean it."

"Just rest?"

"Yes. Ironhide is correct - the sparkling is pressing against your gestation chamber, and you need to rest and intake plenty of energon."

I sighed at him. "Have you been reading Ratchet's datapads again?"

"Yes." He answered curtly, taking my arm and pulling gently but firmly down the corridor.

I raised an optic ridge once I realised we were heading towards the brig. "Are you locking me up?"

Prowl looked derisively at me. "Of course not. I would never lock a sparked 'bot up. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are in here."

My head swivelled around to stare at him. "I thought they were on the Communications deck. Aren't they on comm. duty?"

"That is what they were meant to be doing. Instead, they decided to glue Bumblebee to the ceiling while he recharged." Prowl said tonelessly, pushing open the doors to the brig and leading me down the stairs. He reached back and carefully took my hand to ensure I didn't fall or otherwise damage myself coming down the stairs. "Are you well?"

"I'm fine." I assured him, clutching at his hand so I didn't lose my balance on my pedes. My balance had gotten increasingly worse as all my internal systems had gone towards the sparkling and it's growth, leaving the bare minimum for my stabilisers. The mechs around the base had gotten used to me clutching at them for balance.

Prowl nodded, leading me through the small corridor lined with cells, until we reached the cells at the back. The twins had been thrown in the same cell; Sideswipe was on the floor, absently doodling in the dust, and Sunstreaker was glaring at the wall with his knees curled up to his chassis. Sideswipe raised his helm when he heard Prowl's footsteps, and grinned widely at him. "Hey! You coming to let us out?"

Prowl raised an optic ridge, his bright blue optics flashing in the dark, damp brig. "Oh no. Oh, no, no. I simply brought your bondmate down here so she wouldn't be worried about you. She can leave whenever she pleases." He stepped to the side so that the twins could see me. A smirk crossed the black and white mechs face as the twins sat up straighter. "See, these cells are time-locked. They will unlock when your sentence has been carried out, but not a minute sooner. So they should unlock by the time myself and the others return from Norway." He nodded to me, "I will see you later, Molly."

I nodded in return and watched as he left. The minute he was gone, I turned to the twins and raised an optic ridge. "Was it worth it?" I sat down down in front of the bars.

"You should have seen 'Bee's faceplates when he onlined and realised he was on the ceiling." Sideswipe snickered in delight.

Sunstreaker punched his brother. Judging by the dents adorning Sideswipe's armour, it wasn't the first time. "I hate you. It's your fault we're in here."

Sideswipe didn't appear bothered by his brothers attitude. "How are you?" He asked, reaching out his hand.

I entwined my fingers through his and smiled. "I'm fine." I said as Sunstreaker got up and walked over to us.

"You shouldn't have come down here." He said gruffly. "It's damp and cold. It's not good for you."

I smiled at him and took one of his hands in my other hand. "I'm fine, Sunny. I want to see you."

He frowned slightly at the nickname, but relaxed as he twisted our fingers together. "The stairs.."

I laughed at him. "I'm not going to go up them on my _own_."

Sunstreaker frowned, tightening his grip on my hand. "You shouldn't stay here until we get out. Brig time is supposed to be a punishment."

"You're locked in a cold, damp cell. I would consider that punishment." I pointed out.

Sideswipe grinned and kissed my fingers, which were still entwined in his. "It's not a punishment if you're with us, darling dear."

I smiled and leaned my head against the bars. "You know, when the sparkling arrives, you're expected to act responsible."

Sideswipe groaned. "But that's so boring! I want to teach Simba tricks and pranks and-"

"We are _not_ calling it Simba!" Sunstreaker hissed at him.

Sideswipe scowled. "Why not?!"

Sunstreaker growled in frustration. "Because it is a ridiculous name!"

Sideswipe frowned. "No, it isn't! It's a great name! We could call it Nala, either."

"We're not naming it after anyone from the Lion King." Sunstreaker growled firmly. He turned his optics on me. "We are not letting him watch any more Disney movies."

I smiled at the both of them. "How about you choose the next Disney movie?"

"The Lion King 2." Sideswipe said immediately.

"No." Sunstreaker said sharply. He seemed to think for a moment. "I suppose we'll have to see when we get out of here." He scowled around the cell.

I nodded. "Do you think you'll know everyone that arrives?"

Both twins looked confusedly at me. "What do you mean?" Sideswipe asked.

"The new arrivals. They're landing in Norway sometime within the next hour. That's where Prowl and the others have gone."

Sideswipe frowned curiously, scooting closer to the bars of the cell. "Do you know who they are?"

I shook my head. "No, not yet. I think Prowl said Dinobots are coming."

Sunstreaker stiffened, glancing at Sideswipe. "The Dinobots? Frag."

"Do not talk to them." Sideswipe sat up sharply. "I mean it!"

I frowned confusedly. "Jazz and Prowl said the same thing. What's wrong with them?"

Sideswipe frowned slightly. "It's not that there's anything- okay, there's a lot wrong with them. It's just.. They tend to not know their strength. They break a lot of things. They.." He looked to Sunstreaker for support.

"They're unpredictable and hard to control." Sunstreaker supplied.

"Sounds like you two." I grinned at them.

"We're unpredictable and hard to control in the _fun_ way." Sideswipe leaned forwards and kissed me gently through the bars. He pulled back and smiled. "You know you love it."

I laughed. "Of course I do." I said fondly, shaking my head.

Sunstreaker reached out and ran a finger over my abdominal plating. "You still shouldn't stay down here in the cold. Are you uncomfortable?"

I smiled and placed my hand over his on my stomach. "I'm fine."

He sighed. "I'll take your word for it."

We spent the next two hours talking through the bars of the cell, barely noticing the time passing. There was a barely audible 'click' that stopped Sideswipe in the middle of regaling us with a story about when himself and a mech called Smokescreen had gone undercover in Iacon with near disastrous results.

"I think the auto-lock has switched off." I stood up off the ground with quite some difficulty. "That means the others must be back."

Sunstreaker pushed the cell doors open and reached for me to steady me on my feet. "We should get you to our quarters to recharge."

I couldn't deny the definite exhaustion in my body, and the fact that my tanks were running low. "But I want to see the new arrivals."

Sunstreaker huffed irritably. "We'll say hello, but then we're taking you back."

Sideswipe grinned and slapped his brother on the shoulder companionably. "Sunny isn't too good at social interaction."

Sunstreaker glared sideways at him as he led me towards the stairs. Sideswipe walked behind me all the way up, cautious in case I fell backwards. As I felt his hand rest on my aft as if to support me going up the stairs, I raised an optic ridge at him. "Sides, I'm fine."

He grinned cheekily. "I'm just making sure."

I rolled my optics, but knew it was futile to protest. "They're probably in the main hangar." I said as we reached the top of the stairs and turned into the hallway.

"Lead the way." Sunstreaker's voice in my audio receptor made me jump - I hadn't realised he was so close to me. He kissed my jaw and leaned back so I could walk.

I smiled at him and took his hand as we walked to the main hangar. Even that short walk made me tired, and I ended up leaning slightly into Sunstreaker as Sideswipe walked ahead of us into the main hangar.

"If you feel tired or sick, tell us." Sunstreaker murmured into my audio. "We'll take you back to our room, okay? Even if the sparkling starts kicking."

I smiled up at him and nodded as all the 'bots who had gone and the ones who had arrived came into view. My optics widened slightly as I took in the variety of new Autobots. There were a lot more than I had expected, and I stepped closer to Sunstreaker subconsciously, gripping his hand even tighter.

Prowl turned and caught sight of the twins as they walked in. His doorwings flicked up slightly - he was clearly still annoyed about the Bumblebee incident.

I leaned into Sunstreaker and whispered "Promise me there won't be any more psycho ex-girlfriends?"

Sunstreaker gave a small snort and kissed me, so much gentler than would have been expected. "Promise." He murmured.

"Sideswipe!" Someone called out in greeting.

Sideswipe grinned and bounced over to the white and blue mech. He had doorwings like Prowl, and had the number 38 stamped on him. "Smokey!"

I glanced at Sunstreaker uncertainly, and he answered me before I spoke. "That's Smokescreen."

I nodded and leaned into him as I looked around. "There's more people than I thought there would be."

"Shy?" Sunstreaker grunted.

I elbowed him lightly. "No."

His lips quirked up a tiny bit in his version of a smile. "You might as well say hello to some of them."

I raised an optic ridge at him. "You should say hi too."

Sunstreaker shook his head. "I'm not a social mech. They don't expect me to say hi."

I glared grumpily at him. "I don't-"

"Molly!" Ratchet yelled my name across the clamour the other 'bots were creating. "Come here!"

Sunstreaker pushed me forwards very lightly, his fingers lingering on my lower backplates. "Go on."

I glanced at him, but nodded and made my way over to my dad, smiling at him when I reached him. "Hey."

"First Aid, this is my daughter." Ratchet said proudly, throwing his arm around me. "Molly, this is my apprentice, First Aid."

I smiled awkwardly at the white and red mech. "Hi there."

First Aid nodded in greeting. "It is lovely to meet you." He shook my hand. "Ratchet hasn't told me how he managed to have a sparkling this old, however."

Ratchet nodded as First Aid's helm tilted curiously. "She isn't biologically mine, Aid. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker found her. I raised her. She grew at an abnormal pace, but her growth slowed radically once she reached the human equivalent of eighteen to nineteen years."

First Aid's optics flared in surprise. "Most unusual." He murmured. He opened his mouth to continue, but at that moment he caught sight of my swollen and distended abdomen. His mouth fell completely open and he stared for quite a few moments.

Ratchet looked half amused and half annoyed at his reaction. "Surely you've seen a sparked 'bot before, Aid."

"I- yes." First Aid blinked, regaining his composure. "Of course. Who- are the creators still online?"

Ratchet's face soured. "Of course. I couldn't kill them without hurting Molly or my grandcreation."

First Aid's optic ridges furrowed. "Them?" He echoed.

Ratchet looked pointedly across the room at the twins. "Yes. _Them_."

First Aid followed Ratchet's gaze and blinked again. "I... I didn't know that was possible. I mean.. They're split spark twins, so I know that they're two halves of one spark, and I know that they've shared berth partners before, but I didn't realise that they could dually impregnate-"

"I'm feeling distinctly uncomfortable, so I think I'm going to leave." I announced, stepping back awkwardly.

"Have you had your energon?" Ratchet demanded.

"Not yet."

"Have it!" Ratchet called after me as I walked back to the twins.

I nodded over my shoulder at him as I reached the twins, who were still talking to Smokescreen. Well, Sideswipe was talking. Sunstreaker was grunting and nodding. "Hi." I smiled when I came to a stop next to Sunny.

Smokescreen raised an optic ridge and smiled at me. "Hello. Who's this?"

"Molly." Sideswipe answered easily. "Our bondmate."

Smokescreen laughed. "Right." He grinned. His grin faded when Sideswipe didn't return it. "Wait.. Seriously? You two have a bondmate?"

"Yes." Sunstreaker ground out.

Smokescreen looked blank for a moment, before recovering with a smooth smile and holding out his hand to me. "It's lovely to meet you, Molly. My apologies for acting so rude, I just.." He glanced surreptitiously at the twins, "I didn't realise that Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were interested in sparkbonding with anyone."

Sideswipe grinned and slung his arm around my shoulders. "Molly is different, and it was a.. complicated situation."

Smokescreen raised an optic ridge. "Does Solstice know?"

"She knows Molly's sparked, but not-"

"_What_?" Smokescreen's optics shot to my abdomen. He gaped at it for a long moment, before saying "Well, I feel a bit stupid that I didn't see the gestational bump before."

"Considering it's huge." Sideswipe said offhandedly.

I stared at him. "You think I'm huge?"

"Hm?" Sideswipe seemed to realise he had said something wrong. "No! No, of course not! Well, obviously your gestation chamber is all swollen and it makes here," he ran his hand along my stomach plates, "look massive, but other than that, you look great!"

"That didn't help at all." Sunstreaker murmured into Sideswipe's audio.

Sideswipe winced. "Molly-"

"Considering you two were the ones that _did_ this-" I began, frowning.

Sideswipe jumped in and interrupted me. "Yes, and we're sorry we made your stomach plating look huge, but the results will be a sparkling! Isn't that great? I mean, if you think about it?"

Smokescreen was watching the whole exchange with a raised optic ridge, his doorwings twitching in curiosity. "I believe you were discussing how Solstice knew that dear Molly was sparked, but not that you were bonded." He said, effectively saving the twins.

"Yes! We were!" Sideswipe jumped on the opportunity to change the subject. "Umm.. Yeah, we kinda got Molly sparked up, and we didn't know for a while.. But then we found out and bonded! Solstice found out she was sparked and we haven't seen her since... We're officially bonded almost a month and a half."

Smokescreen's optic ridges rose even higher. "You sparkbonded _after_ you got her sparked up?"

Sideswipe hesitated. "Yes."

I heard my dad calling my name again, and I excused myself to go and find him. He was talking to a very nervous looking mech who kept looking at the humans suspiciously.

"Molly, this is Red Alert." Ratchet said tiredly.

The name sparked some recognition in my mind, and I raised an optic ridge. "The twins mentioned you." I said, smiling politely at him.

Red Alert snorted. "Nothing good, I'd imagine."

"Nothing bad, either." I assured him.

Red Alert squinted at me. "Hmmm. So you're the hope for our race, then?"

I blinked at him. "Excuse me?"

"Yes." Ratchet inserted quickly, nodding to my abdomen.

Red Alert stared at the protrusion for a long moment. "If the Decepticons find out about the sparkling, they'll try and get it, the slaggers. The security here is pitiful already, but don't worry. I'll upgrade the security network and set up checkpoints. Everyone's quarters will have to be searched, as a safety precaution. Also-"

"Thank you, Red Alert." Optimus rumbled, walking up behind the raving mech. "Your help and assistance is much appreciated."

Red Alert nodded quickly. "Yes. Show me to the communications room, and I'll start work as soon as possible."

Optimus shook his head. "You have earned the right to rest, my friend. Space travel is not easy, and it puts quite the drain on the systems." He smiled and nodded at me. "I see you have met Molly."

Red Alert nodded distractedly. "Yes. Nice girl. Doesn't seem to be a Decepticon spy."

I blinked. Decepticon spy? Optimus caught my look and smiled. "Indeed. Go and rest, Red Alert."

I turned confusedly to Ratchet as Red Alert walked away. "What was that all about?"

"Red Alert is our security director," Optimus answered, "and he takes his job very seriously."

I nodded slowly, looking back around the room. "There's more 'bots than I thought there would be."

Optimus nodded. "I think it's time to introduce them to the first carrying Autobot since the war began." He ignored my confused look and stood up straighter, holding up a hand for silence. Every single 'bot in the room stopped talking and turned to face Optimus in respect. "Hello, fellow Autobots. It is so good to see old friends and comrades again. I welcome you to Earth. It is our new home, and the people here are our friends." A few soldiers awkwardly waved at the huge 'bots. "There is a lot we will miss about Cybertron, in every way. But, we must keep morale high. I believe you will all learn to love this planet."

I began to edge away from Optimus, beginning to guess at what he was going to do, but he reached out and caught my shoulders, drawing me back. I sighed as my escape plan was foiled.

"As well as new allies found in humans, we have a new addition to the Autobot forces. This is Molly," Optimus nodded to me, "Ratchet's daughter."

The silence was broken by mechs turning to whisper to one another.

Optimus raised a hand, and silence fell like a blanket. "Not biologically. She is unique." He ignored my uncomfortable shift in position as everyone turned their optics on me, "She is also sparked."

That caused a huge burst of talk, everyone turning to talk to each other. I glanced at Optimus uncertainly. "Is it that unusual?"

"No one has seen a sparkling since the war." He murmured back. "Apart from those who knew you, of course." He turned back to the crowd. "Silence! Since this will essentially be the start of the repopulation of our race, I would greatly appreciate everyone's cooperation on the matter, and I would like everyone to lend Molly their help and support for the duration of the the sparkling's gestation, and for the rest of the sparkling's life. Thank you."

"Who's the sire?" An orange and red mech with a yellow optic band piped up.

Optimus raised an optic ridge. "Good question, Chromedome. The sires would be Sideswipe and Sunstreaker."

There was a crackling sound and a clang as Red Alert hit the ground. I jumped in surprise. "Is he okay?"

Ratchet rolled his optics and stalked over to him. "He's fine." He growled irritably.

The minibot beside Chromedome bounced to get a better look at Red Alert on the floor. He had a white helm, red faceplates and a blue optic band, and only reached up to Chromedome's upper thigh. "How bad did he glitch?"

"He'll be fine." Chromedome said absently, still staring at me. "Both twins are the sires? How is that even possible?"

Optimus rubbed his faceplates tiredly. "Why don't you ask them?"

Sideswipe grinned hugely and leaned forwards eagerly. "Well, first we took her into our quarters and-"

"That's okay." Chromedome said hurriedly. "I don't need to know."

"Actually, first you got her overcharged." Ratchet said cuttingly.

"Right." Sideswipe grinned sheepishly. "We did that first."

"You started kissin' her pretty openly in the rec room, too." Jazz grinned, leaning easily against Prowl's upright frame.

Sideswipe scratched his helm and nodded. "Yeah.. Yeah, that was next.."

"Ya would've 'faced on the couch if Ironhide hadn't kicked yo' out."

Sideswipe glanced at Ratchet, who was glaring murderously at him. "Uh... I blame Molly for that one."

I whirled to stare at him. "What?"

Sideswipe held up his hands. "You were very overcharged! You were pinning Sunstreaker down on the couch!"

Sunstreaker smirked at the memory and he nodded. "That was fun."

Both myself and Ratchet glared at him.

"Rewind, are you _filming_ this?" Chromedome tilted his helm disapprovingly at the minibot next to him.

Rewind looked up at his friend. "Of course. I think it's important." He stated. A small red light blinked on his helm beside a head mounted camera.

"How is it important?"

"Shouldn't we know how the first sparkling after the war was sparked?"

"No. No, I don't see how that's something that we need to know."

I glanced questioningly at Optimus, wondering if they knew that I had been a sparkling just under two years ago. In answer, he shook his helm. "I think we can stop discussing where the sparkling came from, now. I dare say everyone here has a fair idea of where sparklings come from."

"Rewind doesn't." Chromedome said immediately.

"Hey!" Rewind punched his friends thigh. "I do too!"

Sideswipe snickered. "Sure you do."

"I do!" Rewind protested. "Tailgate told me!"

Tailgate was small, though not as small as Rewind, with a white body and a blue optic band with 'Bomb Disposal' written up his arms. He scratched his helm sheepishly when everyone turned to look at him. "Um... Yeah. But I heard that the new method of sparking is through spark-merging."

"It is, but Molly is an older-model femme." Ratchet said absently as he worked on Red Alert's processor.

Rewind's optic band brightened. "Well in that case, I DO know how the sparkling was made!"

The sparkling kicked hard, and I grunted slightly. "Ow." I murmured, shifting slightly.

{What's wrong?} Sunstreaker asked sharply over the sparkbond.

Sideswipe turned his head to look at me as I rubbed my hand over my abdominal seams. He clapped his hands together and smiled. "We're going to go. Molly needs to rest."

I smiled gratefully and made my way over to him. Sideswipe took my hand and rubbed my back gently. I rested my head tiredly on his shoulder.

"I told you to tell me the minute you felt uncomfortable." Sunstreaker frowned severely.

"I was fine. The sparkling just started kicking. I think it's hungry."

Ratchet picked up his head as Red Alert onlined his optics. "I told you to have a cube of energon."

Prowl frowned at me. "I also instructed you to have energon."

"I know, I just- Jazz? What are you doing?"

Jazz had stepped away from the rest of the 'bots and had begun rotating his hips with his hands in the air. "I'm imitatin' Shakira."

"You are imitating _who_?" Prowl watched blankly as Jazz moved around.

"Shakira." He grinned, beginning to play 'Hips Don't Lie' over his radio.

Prowl looked like he was about to glitch, so I whispered into Sunstreaker's audio. "Can we go?"

He nodded and tugged me gently towards the door without saying a word to anyone else. Sideswipe followed, loudly yelling goodbyes and flashing grins at people. As soon as we had left the hangar, Sunstreaker picked me up into his arms, ignoring my small noise of protest.

Sideswipe bounced along side of us, grinning widely. "Can you believe everyone's here? Except the Dinobots. I didn't see them." He frowned slightly.

"I think Prowl put them in a separate hangar." I said absently, reclining into Sunstreaker's arms to get closer to his familiar spark beat.

"Good." Sunstreaker grunted as Sideswipe keyed open the door to their room.

Sunstreaker walked in and laid me down on the berth, and Sideswipe crawled up next to me. I drank the cube of energon Sunstreaker offered me before I offlined my optics and curled up into his chassis, smiling when Sunstreaker curved his body around my back.

I was almost in recharge when Sideswipe slid down to my gestation chamber and began running his fingers over my plating. "What about Aslan?"

"Hm?" I asked sleepily.

"We could name him Aslan." Sideswipe kissed my abdomen tenderly.

Sunstreaker glowered at his brother. "What is with your obsession with lions?"

"I like lions." Sideswipe said defensively. "Why don't you come up with a name? You haven't made any suggestions!"

Sunstreaker vented and buried his face in my neck for a moment, before answering. "Can't we wait until its emergence before naming it?"

Sideswipe pressed another kiss to my abdomen. "Just making sure we have options."

I smiled as he pulled himself back up so he was face-level with me. "We have lots of options, Sides. Don't worry." I kissed his cheek.

He smiled and kissed me back, holding me as close as he could without squishing the sparkling bump. Sunstreaker reached out and smacked Sideswipe away. "Wait until tomorrow. She's tired." He chided his twin.

Sideswipe sighed and moved back, smiling softly at me. "I'll wait 'till tomorrow then." He said as my recharge protocols took over and my optics dimmed.


	33. Chapter 33

**Hey guys! It's update time!**

**I'm really sorry it's taken so long:/ exams have melted my brain D:**

**Pretty sure I failed maths, which is not good.. Ah well :) I'll laugh about my bad results some day in the future! (Hopefully)**

**Anyway! Here you go! Sorry for the wait :) especially you, BornWithTheSupercell ;) please review!**

"Hey. Are you awake? Molly?"

I ignored Sideswipe as best as I could, keeping my optics offlined. It was too early for this - only half six in the morning.

"Mo-o-o-olly." Sideswipe sang, poking my side.

I growled in irritation. "Sideswipe."

"Oh good, you're awake!" He cheered, wrapping his arms around me from behind and burying his face into my neck cables.

"I am now." I sighed, smiling softly.

Sunstreaker onlined a single optic and glared at Sideswipe. Even through one optic, his glare was intense. "Must you do this _every_ morning?"

"I got excited thinking about the sparkling." Sideswipe grinned and rubbed my abdominal plating softly. "I also think it's time we asked Molly to move into our quarters with us."

I rolled over on the berth so I was face to face with Sideswipe. "I thought I had already moved in." I confessed. I had slept in the twins quarters every night since they had found out about the sparkling.

"Well, you sort of have, but we figured that we should ask you formally." Sideswipe shrugged.

I glanced behind me at Sunstreaker. "This was your idea, too?"

Sunstreaker seemed to have resigned himself to he fact that he wouldn't be going back to recharge, and shuffled closer to me, rocking the berth slightly. "I already considered you moved in. Sideswipe wants to make it official."

I smiled and turned back to Sideswipe as Sunstreaker pressed up behind me. "Okay."

"Molly, would you kindly move in with us so that we may raise our sparkling together and be happy and interface lots and-"

Sunstreaker rolled his optics. "Shut up, you fragger."

I laughed and leaned into him. "I would love to."

Sideswipe grinned. "Great! Because you _technically_ agreed to the interfacing, too." As I opened my mouth to reply, he quickly added "No take-backs!"

"You're impossible." I groaned.

"I'm actually quite easy, you just gotta ask." Sideswipe kissed my neck.

I batted him away and rolled my optics. "Sideswipe, I feel like the sparkling will pop straight out if I move. I don't think this is a good idea right now."

Sideswipe groaned and flopped back on the berth. "Later?"

"When the sparkling is out." Sunstreaker growled at him.

Sideswipe huffed and gazed at my gestational bulge, before sliding down on the berth to talk to the sparkling. "Hey, bud. How's it goin' in there? I'd bet it's getting seriously cramped, right? Yeah, I thought so. You know what you should do? You should just come right out. Yep. Say hello to the big bad world. Mommy and Daddy Number One and Daddy Number Two are waiting for you! And so is Uncle Jazz and Grandaddy Ratchet and everyone else! And also, I've been getting kinda antsy.. Sexual tension building up, ya know? Well, you don't know now, but you will, Simba. You will. So my point is, I really want to frag mommy again. So you should just pop right out. So that's my argument for today. Why don't you just take a couple of minutes to really think about what I've said."

"I have real doubts when it comes to letting you near the sparkling." I sighed.

"Agreed." Sunstreaker frowned. "It's a _sparkling_."

"It'll have to be taught about the circle of life sooner or later, right?"

"Later." Sunstreaker scowled. "_Much_ later."

Sideswipe nuzzled my stomach, before sliding back up to rest beside me again. "I was just telling Simba why-" he broke off, and over the spark bond I felt both of them receiving comm. links. Sides sighed. "We have to go, princess."

"Oh." I said, dismayed. "Where?"

"Prowl ordered a debriefing in the meeting room." Sideswipe tangled his fingers through mine. "Wanna come?"

I scrunched up my face. "And sit through a debriefing? No, thanks."

Sunstreaker snorted into my back. "You can wait for us outside, if you want."

"Yeah, okay." I said quietly, tilting my head back.

Sideswipe kissed my cheek before standing up off the bed and pulling me up. I groaned as I stood up, joints creaking and squeaking. Sideswipe ran his optics over my body and raised an optic ridge. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I smiled, ignoring the discomfort in my abdomen. The sparkling was now almost too big for my gestation chamber, and the discomfort was almost overwhelming.

Sunstreaker stood up and huffed. "It's too early." He complained.

I winced as the sparkling moved in my gestation chamber, creating an uncomfortable stretching sensation. I rested my hands over my abdomen to assure the sparkling everything was okay.

"What's wrong?" Sunstreaker asked, noticing my expression.

"Nothing, the sparkling was just stretching."

Sideswipe jumped over to me excitedly. "The baby's awake?" He grinned wildly, crouching down so his face was level with my abdominal plates. "Hey budd-ay! So I'm guessing you didn't hear me earlier? I was just saying that maybe you might wanna come out of mommy's gestation chamber soon, because the sexual dry spell is killing Daddy Number One and Daddy Number Two."

"Sideswipe-" I began, frowning, but Sunstreaker just shook his head.

"Give it up." Sunstreaker advised. "He's not going to stop."

"-and that's why you should just emerge. It'd be easier, y'know. So, yeah. I'm sure we'll see you soon." Sideswipe kissed my abdomen and stood up again, before taking my hand and pulling me towards the door. "C'mon. Prowl's gonna get all annoyed if we're late for another debriefing."

I followed him, yawning absently as Sunstreaker followed me and Sideswipe down the hall. Sunstreaker gave me a look. "How are you _still_ tired?"

I shrugged tiredly. "I don't know.."

When we reached the meeting room, Sideswipe kissed me on the cheek before saying "Get yourself some energon."

I smiled and nodded as Sunstreaker rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly as a way of goodbye. I didn't take it personally, knowing he was awkward around public displays of affection. They both disappeared into the meeting room, and I turned and made my way towards the rec room.

I had barely stepped foot inside when Lennox came tearing in after me. "Molly! I need help, _now_!"

I was feeling lazy, and very almost said no. As it was, I sighed and said "What's wrong?"

"The dinosaur- Dinobot, whatever it's called! The T-Rex thingy is terrorising everyone! We don't know how to tell it to stop!"

I went through my databanks, looking for the name of a T-Rex Dinobot. "Grimlock?" I asked when I came across a memory of Jazz mentioning him.

"Yeah, that's it! Please, he keeps breaking things!"

I sighed and nodded, reluctantly following Will down the corridors to the main hangar.

"Oh _shit_." Will said as we entered the main hangar in time to see a massive, mostly grey mech with a glowing orange visor punch a hole right through the wall. The whole hangar looked like a group of Wreckers had been wrestling around it.

"So he's changed to his bipedal mode." I guessed.

"Stop him! Oh god, my superiors are gonna be on my ass about this. I am _so_ unemployed."

I sighed and stepped towards the clearly angry mech. "Um.. Hi."

Grimlock looked up, growling. His head tilted once he caught sight of me, clearly confused.

"I'm Molly."

"Me Grimlock."

"Yes, I know." I nodded, before gesturing to the wall. "You angry?"

"Yes."

I nodded. "Oh. How come?"

Grimlock grumbled quietly so I couldn't hear, before raising his voice. "Me no like here. Grimlock want outside."

"Oh. Oh, cool. We can go outside, if you want. The door is over there. You didn't need to punch a hole in the wall." When Grimlock looked confused, I gestured at him to follow me, before walking towards the exit.

The sound of heavy footfalls told me that the big mech was following me as I stepped outside into the sunlight. A light gust of wind ghosted over my armour, and I shivered slightly. Grimlock rumbled as he looked around. "No like organic stuff." He glared at a shrub.

"It'll grow on you." I assured him.

He looked taken aback. "Don't want it near me!"

"No, no! I mean you'll learn to like it!" I assured him.

Grimlock nodded in understanding, before looking around. He looked back to me abruptly and jabbed his finger at my stomach plating. "Sparkling."

I jerked back slightly in surprise. "Wh-? Oh. Yeah. Um... Yeah. Sparkling." I patted my abdomen and nodded.

Grimlock reached out and copied the motion of patting my gestation bulge. I stood there awkwardly as Grimlock rubbed my stomach, waiting for him to speak. "When?" He said at last.

"Sometime in the next week, probably." I answered, smiling as he withdrew his hand. "Calm now?"

Grimlock nodded slowly. "Yes. Calm now. Go find Swoop." He pointed to a warehouse a little bit away, which was being used to house the Dinobots.

"Okay, buddy. Stay calm, okay?"

Grimlock nodded. "Goodbye, 'buddy'."

I grinned as he walked away, before turning and returning into the main hangar to find Lennox. I found him banging his head off the wall. "Will, you're going to hurt yourself. Grimlock is my new buddy."

He groaned and raised his head to look at me. "How am I going to explain this to General Morshower and my other superiors? They're already freaking out over the fact that you're having a baby robot, now I have to explain that a new dinosaur shaped Autobot had a meltdown and broke several thousand dollars worth of equipment because he couldn't find the _door_."

I sank down onto the floor and tilted my head at him, frowning. "There's trouble over my sparkling?"

He glanced up, startled. "What? Oh-! Um..." He sighed in defeat. "Yeah. Not _trouble_, exactly... People back at the Pentagon are just... wary. They don't want Earth to be used as a 'breeding ground', as they put it."

"What did you say?" I asked with a troubled frown.

"I told them the baby was a result of a drunken accident."

"_Will!"_

"What?! I had to assure them it was a once-off!"

"How come I'm only hearing about this now?"

"The twins didn't want to worry you when you were in your final stage of your weird alien pregnancy." He sighed, running his hand through his short hair. "They're so not gonna be impressed with me."

"They knew?" I frowned.

"Yeah." Will sighed. "Look, it doesn't matter. I'll sort it out, it'll be fine. By the way, Annabelle wants to see you."

"I saw her last week." I pointed out.

Will shrugged. "I think she's hoping that you'll give birth while she's here."

I laughed and stood up again, wincing with the effort it took. "I'm going to go get some energon." I waved goodbye to Will as I left for the rec room.

Thankfully, this time I actually made it to the energon dispenser and had a cube in my hand before I was interrupted again.

A little minibot I recognised as Rewind came up to me and tapped me on the back. "You're the twins' sparkmate, right?"

"That's me." I smiled, taking a sip of energon as I sat down on a free couch.

Rewind was only up to my stomach plates, with a red facemask, a blue visor, and a head mounted video camera. His torso was black, with white arms and legs. He climbed up onto the couch next to me and crossed his legs. "So.. You're having a sparkling."

I smiled patiently and nodded. "We are."

Rewind tilted his helm. "That'll be exciting."

"It sure will." I smiled at him.

"So how come you're not at the debriefing meeting?" Rewind asked curiously.

I shrugged. "Wasn't invited."

Rewind nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess Prime would be all protective of a sparked 'bot."

"How come you're not there?"

Rewind's visor darkened in a scowl. "Blaster wouldn't let me go. I'm not allowed to fight."

I frowned slightly. "Blaster?" From what I could recall, he was Jazz's friend.

"Yeah. He's my mech creator."

It occurred to me that Rewind was one of his cassettes. "Oh, right. Well, that's kinda sweet. It means he cares about you."

Rewind shook his head. "Eject and Steeljaw are allowed to go." He said grumpily. "It's because he's annoyed at me, but I'm not a sparkling anymore."

I laughed. "I know, but you'll always be his kid."

Rewind sighed behind his facemask. "Yeah, I guess. It's just annoying. He doesn't even like me hanging around with Chromedome. I said I was going to hang out with Domey anyway, and that's why he's annoyed."

"Is Chromedome the orange and red mech?" I guessed.

"Yeah." Rewind said tiredly.

"Is he your best friend?"

Rewind hesitated. "Kinda. Kinda more than that."

"Oh." I blinked. "Well, I suppose I can see it from Blaster's point of view."

"But you can see it from my point of view too, right?" Rewind insisted. "Because you really should, considering who your sparkmates and your male parental unit are. What did you do when Ratchet didn't want you around the twins?"

I smiled wryly. "I'm probably not the best person to ask about this, Rewind."

"No, please tell me!" The minibot pleaded, clambering into my lap so he could sit on my knee.

I sighed. "Okay.. Um.. So, I liked the twins. And.. Well, I didn't know if they liked me back. I had kind of grown up in front of them, so I think they still saw me as a sparkling. One day, Solstice arrived. And she was like.. A past lover, or something." I shuddered at the thought. "She.. Um... She didn't like me very much. But yeah, the twins spent a lot of time with her, so I spent a lot of time with other mechs and my dad. One day, Solstice and Arcee went on a mission. Can't really remember what it was, but I got overcharged that night... so did the twins... I think you know where this is headed." I patted my stomach plates.

"What did Ratchet do?" Rewind asked, enraptured.

"He beat them, I think.. Quite a few times. But he got over it." I shrugged, before catching sight of Rewind's face and shaking my head. "That was definitely _not_ advice. Don't you _dare_ follow my example, do you hear me?"

Rewind nodded, sighing and leaning into me on my lap. My arms wrapped around his little frame automatically. "You'll be fine."

His nodded. "It just annoys me how he's not letting me fight because he's mad."

I smiled and patted his head soothingly. "I know. You should talk to him."

Rewind sighed. "Yeah, I suppose so. Anyway, I want to know more about the sparkling." He smiled excitedly.

I grinned at his enthusiasm. "Well, it's due any day now. We don't know if it's a mech or a femme, because we wanted it to be a surprise. Sideswipe wants to call it Simba, whether it's a mech or a femme. It's very hard to say no to him when he's adamant about something."

"Why Simba?" Rewind tilted his head curiously.

"It's better than Mufasa," I muttered, before raising my voice, "Because Sideswipe loves the Lion King. It's a movie, and Simba is the main character," I answered his questioning look. "I'll show it to you some time."

Rewind nodded eagerly. "I'd like that. So.. Is that what you're going to call it? Simba?"

I groaned and tilted my head back. "I don't know... I guess it's not the worst name, because all Cybertronians have weird names-"

"Yeah.." Rewind agreed. "Molly's a pretty weird name."

"What? My name is normal!" I frowned. "_Your_ names are all weird!"

Rewind looked taken aback, although it was hard to tell with his facemask. "My name is perfectly normal!"

"Okay, we're not having this discussion." I rubbed my faceplates. "Anyway, that's what Sides wants to call it. Sunny's not so keen on the name, but I think it's kind of growing on him. He doesn't punch Sideswipe in the face whenever he mentions it anymore."

Rewind laughed and leaned into me, carefully avoiding putting any weight on my abdomen. "Well, at least they're getting used to the idea of a sparkling. There's something that's kind of bothering me about your story..."

I frowned. "What is it?"

"Who's Solstice? Is she an Autobot?"

I blinked, surprised. "Yeah. Yeah, she used to be the twins' girlfriend."

Rewind shook his head. "I.. I don't have any records of an Autobot femme named Solstice."

I frowned curiously, remembering that Rewind was an archivist. It still kind of creeped me out how he stored all that information in his hard drive, but considering his alt mode was a giant memory stick, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. "I'm pretty sure she fought in the war. She's blue and green, and a bit of a psychopath."

Rewind tilted his head as he searched through his databanks. "Do you know what battles she fought in?"

"No, sorry."

Rewind hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe I just don't have any footage of her."

I shrugged and yawned, reclining into the couch and hugging Rewind closer like a teddy bear. "I'm so tired.."

Rewind hugged me around the neck. "Maybe you should recharge a while."

I laughed slightly. "I just got up." I told him.

{Meeting's just over. Where are ya, princess?} Sideswipe called over the bond.

{Rec. room} I answered absently.

Rewind was chatting about proper nutrition for carrying 'bots and how I should be resting lots. I smiled and nodded as he spoke.

"Rewind?"

We both glanced up to see Chromedome standing in the door of the rec room. Rewind perked up instantly. "Hey Domey! I was talking to Molly about her sparkling. How was the meeting?" Rewind asked, standing up on my lap.

Chromedome shrugged noncommittally. "Prowl was as to-the-point as always. Are you coming? Hi Molly." He added with a nod.

I smiled in greeting as Rewind nodded and climbed off my lap. The minibot bounced over to his friend, before giving me one last wave. "See you later!"

I waved at him as he took Chromedome's arm and led him out of the rec room. I curled up on the couch and closed my optics tiredly.

"Hey beautiful. We're back." Sideswipe's voice announced, and he kissed the top of my helm as he sat himself on the couch.

I opened my optics and blinked confusedly. I hadn't even heard them come in. "Oh. Hey." I smiled absently at Sunstreaker, who was standing awkwardly, as if he didn't know what to do. I reached out questioningly, pulling him down to sit on the other side of me so I was in the middle of them both.

Sunny relaxed, and kissed my helm quickly. "Did you have energon?"

"Yes, Ratchet." I said sarcastically.

Sunny pushed my head gently. "No need to be snarky."

I rolled my eyes at his hypocrisy. "Right." I leaned into him and stretched my legs across Sideswipe's lap. Sunstreaker wrapped his arms around me, and I melted into him. As Sunstreaker was usually uncomfortable with public displays of affection, I savoured the moment.

"Has the sparkling moved again yet?" Sideswipe asked eagerly, reaching out with both hands and nuzzling my gestation bump.

I smiled at him. "Not since you left for your debriefing meeting. I don't think it has any room to move anymore."

Sideswipe grinned and kissed my tummy. "Deliverance day is coming closer."

"Sure is." I patted my abdomen absently and smiled. "So what was Prowl debriefing you about?"

Sideswipe shrugged lazily. "Battle tactics and slag. Wasn't really paying attention."

Sunstreaker frowned disapprovingly. "It was important."

"Ah well." Sideswipe grinned. "Only thing I can remember him saying is that the Decepticon's are possibly planning an ambush."

Sunstreaker nodded and rubbed his thumb in circles on my helm. "It'll be fine."

"Oooh, isn' this cute?" Jazz's voice sang out moments before he jumped on Sideswipe.

Sideswipe yelped in shock as Jazz collided with him and knocked him of the couch. I was almost knocked off too, but Sunstreaker's arms managed to keep me on the couch.

"Jazz," Prowl appeared, frowning at Jazz and Sideswipe on the floor. "Was that necessary?"

"Yep!" Jazz sat up and grinned.

Sideswipe looked totally bewildered. "What the hell just happened?"

Sunstreaker snorted in amusement. "Nice dent in your rear, afthole."

Sideswipe looked around at his backside in horror. "Jazz!"

Jazz grinned wider. "Huh. Sorry, Siders. I'm sure Ratchet'll fix it up for ya."

Sideswipe grimaced. "I'm not going to Ratchet!"

Sunstreaker smirked, "So you're going to keep that dent in your aft forever? Not very attractive."

Sideswipe scowled. "I'm still very attractive! Right, Molly?"

I laughed. "Of course, Sides."

Sideswipe grinned triumphantly. "See?"

"Jazz?" Sunstreaker's face abruptly darkened. "You almost hit Molly when you jumped on Sideswipe."

Jazz's previously relaxed body tensed immediately. "Slag."

Prowl stepped forwards warily, watching Sunstreaker in case he made a move to attack Jazz. Sunstreaker just glared. "If you do something that stupid again, I will hunt you down, understood?"

Jazz nodded slowly, standing up cautiously. Sideswipe stood up too, wincing at the dent in his aft. "Damn, Jazz."

Jazz grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, bro."

"You're just going to have to go to my dad, Sides." I told him, struggling not to laugh at the size of the dent. It looked to be the size of my hand, and it actually looked quite painful.

Sideswipe groaned and gripped his aft. "Can't _you_ fix it? Please?"

"I'd be too worried I might do it wrong. I mean, that's pretty sensitive wiring and plating down there." I told him honestly.

Sideswipe whimpered. "Aww."

Prowl looked as though he was trying extraordinarily hard to keep a smirk from curling his mouth up. "I think perhaps the most logical course of action would be to see Ratchet."

Jazz turned and shot a grin at Prowl, before turning back to Sideswipe. "Well, if Prowler thinks it's a good idea, then it's a good idea."

Prowl looked slightly amused when he glanced at Jazz next, but it faded when Sideswipe began whimpering again. "I think you should, as Jazz says, 'mech-up'"

Jazz broke into snickers. "Tha's a very good use o' slang, Prowler. Nicely done."

Prowl nodded, looking proud of himself. "Thank you."

Sunstreaker snorted and pulled me closer. "I think we should bring Sideswipe to the medbay." He whispered in my audio receptor.

I silently agreed with him.


	34. Chapter 34

**Hey guys :) two updates in one week! Yay! I'm not sure I'll be able to update next weekend, so this chapter is in case I can't :)**

**as always, please review to tell me what you think!**

"Molly!"

I glanced up from where I was sitting on the couch in the rec room and smiled warmly upon seeing Laurie jogging towards me, pulling a man behind her. "Hi, Laurie."

"How are you feeling?" She asked, coming to a stop at my foot.

"I'm good. Who's this?" I tilted my head and looked pointedly at the man she had dragged behind her. I recognised him as the man Bluestreak had said was her boyfriend.

"Hm? Oh, this is my cousin Jason. He just got transferred to the Autobot-Human Alliance Programme a few weeks ago, so I've been showing him around."

Cousin. Yeah. That made sense.

"Hey, Jason." I nodded at him, trying not to glare at him when I noticed he was staring at my abdomen.

"Hi.." He blinked, moving his gaze to my face. "Um.. S'up?"

My lips quirked up in an amused smile. "Oh, not much. How're you liking it here?"

Jason's smile faded slightly, and he ran his hand through his shortly cropped brown hair. "It's.. It's great, I just.. My wife just had a baby, so I guess of rather be with her, y'know?"

My face fell. "Oh. I'm sorry."

Jason shrugged and sighed. "Yeah, me too. I guess I'll just have to wait."

"Is it a mech or a femme?" I asked, before catching myself and shaking my head. "Sorry, I meant boy or girl."

"It's a baby boy." His handsome face morphed into a grin. "We called him Rory."

I grinned back at him. "Aw! That's so cute! Is he your first?"

"No, we.. Uh.. We have two girls." He smiled and nodded. "They're Jane and Molly."

I raised my optic ridges and grinned. "Molly?"

"Well, we didn't know you when we named her." He laughed.

Laurie grinned and bounced on her feet. "I'm the godmother of Rory! Isn't that amazing!"

"It's great!" I agreed, "In fact, I think you should tell Bluestreak all about it. And introduce him to your cousin."

"I think he's been avoiding me." Laurie admitted. "I haven't spoken with him in so long."

:•Hey Blue, where are ya?•:

:•I'm in the monitor room. Red Alert is kinda paranoid, and he's making me check every single camera. He thinks he saw a Decepticon signal, but I think it was just a squirrel.•:

:•I don't think there are any squirrels on Diego Garcia.•: I told him, before glancing back to Laurie. "Monitor room."

"Thanks!" Laurie waved before dragging Jason out of the room.

I smiled and offlined my optics, slipping into a light recharge.

It was almost an hour and a half later I was awoken by a huge explosion. I blinked sleepily and sighed. {Did Wheeljack blow up again?}

{Where are you?} Sideswipe yelled over the bond.

I blinked in surprise. {The rec room. Why, did he release some kind of poisonous gas?} I was only half joking, considering it had happened before.

{Decepticons are attacking, get out of there! Go back to our quarters, do you hear?!}

{Decepticons? But- Bluestreak said it was a squirrel!}

A moment passed, as confusion cut through Sideswipe's panic. {A squirrel..?}

Sunstreaker took this as an opportunity to yell at me through the bond. {Get to our quarters, now!}

I struggled up off the couch, wincing as my joints protested, and the sparkling stretched at the same time. "It's okay, honey." I hugged my stomach and talked to the sparkling as I raced out the door. "Everything's gonna be fine."

The wall up ahead of me exploded outwards, and I froze in terror as a blue and black mech with beautiful looking wings climbed through the hole. His red optics locked on me and the plasma ray on his arm powered to life with a whir. "Don't move, Autobot." He commanded, his deep voice threatening as he aimed his gun at my head.

I froze, my vents stuttering. The sparkling began to squirm, no doubt feeling my distress. "Please don't.."

The Decepticon's optics narrowed. "Be quiet. It makes it easier to kill you if you don't beg."

"Order: Desist." The monotone voice sounded almost like Prowl when he was in his tactician mode, but the mech that stepped out of the wall next was not Prowl. He was blue with a red visor and a face mask. I noticed the signs of a cassette deck, and suddenly I recognised the mech as Soundwave.

"Shit." I whimpered.

Soundwave turned and looked at me expressionlessly. "Statement: Illogical to offline carrying femme."

The blue winged Decepticon dropped his arm and blinked at my abdomen. "She's carrying? I thought that was just her frame type."

I couldn't withhold the derisive look I sent him. "What?"

He glared defensively at me. "I haven't seen a carrying 'bot since before the war on Cybertron."

"Yeah, I'm told that a lot."

Soundwave stepped forward suddenly and gripped my arm, pulling me down the hall. "Order: Contact Starscream."

"Why?"

"Statement: Carrying Autobot could prove beneficial. Carrying Autobot: Is the beginning of repopulation."

I cringed away from him, but his grip didn't falter. "Wait, no!"

The winged Decepticon glanced at me, but didn't say anything. Instead, he addressed Soundwave. "Commander Starscream says he'll meet us outside. He's already met up with Solstice."

I froze, legs almost failing. The blue winged Decepticon noticed my stumble and caught me before I could fall. Soundwave didn't even pause; he continued to drag me down the corridor. "Solstice?" I demanded.

The Seeker nodded. "Yeah. She's been a double agent for a couple of years now. She-"

"Thundercracker: Silence." Soundwave intoned, stopping at a corner and peering around it.

Thundercracker fell quiet, scowling slightly. "Fine."

{Hey, guys?} I laughed nervously through the bond. {Um.. Please don't be mad at me.}

{What did you do?} Sunstreaker snapped back. {We told you to go back to our quarters!}

{I know that! I was on my way but the wall exploded and now two Decepticon's are bringing to me to someone called Starscream and.. Um.. And Solstice..}

There was snarl across the bond, surprisingly from Sideswipe. {We saw her already. Stupid glitch.}

{Oh. So, I guess I'll see you in a bit, huh?}

{Idiot. We're coming for you}

I relaxed slightly after talking to them. {okay} I replied softly.

"What's on your legs?" Thundercracker's rumbling voice brought me back to the present.

"What?" I glanced at him, and noticed he was staring at my legs. I glanced down and frowned at the blue liquid trailing down my silver metal thighs. "I don't know."

Soundwave had slowed to almost a stop, and he stared at the iridescent liquid on my legs. "Statement: Sparkling has breached the fluid sac."

Thundercracker whipped his head around to stare at the monotone communications officer. "Wait, what? It's coming out now? No, no, no! I didn't agree to come on this mission to help an Autobot deliver a sparkling!"

"Statement: Thundercracker did not agree to mission. Thundercracker: was ordered."

Thundercracker glared at him, before turning nervously to me. "Um.. I don't know what to do. Do you feel any pain right now?"

I didn't lift my optics from the fluids staining my thighs. I don't think I could have if I tried. "No. No, I'm fine. I don't think I'm giving birth right now. I don't think that's happening. I'm fine, actually."

"Autobot femme: is in shock."

"My name is Molly!" I screamed at him.

Thundercracker jumped at my outburst, but Soundwave remained impassive. "Autobot femme: is becoming irate. Irritation: normal in current circumstances."

I growled in frustration and pushed his arm away from me, breaking out of his grip. "I'm not giving birth! I've heard about labour! You get contractions and all types of shit! Look at me! I'm absolutely fine!"

Soundwave didn't remove his impassive gaze from my face. "Negative. Labour: is for humans."

I turned to stare at Thundercracker. "What about you? Do you think I look like I'm about to give birth?"

Thundercracker stiffened, glancing helplessly at Soundwave. "Ah... I can't really say. I have never witnessed a groundling having a sparkling. Soundwave has symbionts, though. So I think he would know."

I glared at Soundwave, before crossing my arms and looking away.

"Are you sulking?" Thundercracker demanded. "Primus, you're worse than Starscream."

"Negative." Soundwave intoned. "Starscream: far more unbearable."

Thundercracker seemed torn between agreeing and standing up for his fellow Decepticon. "He's my trine leader." Was his argument.

{Hey, guys! So, um.. Not to pressure you or anything, but where exactly are you?} I asked through the twin bond, beginning to get anxious.

{Combaticons are- slag, that hurt! We're fighting the Combaticons! Don't worry, I think Sunny shot Brawl, so Devastator shouldn't be able to form.}

Barely any of that sentence had made any sense to me. {Oh, that's great. Well, I guess I'm just contacting you because one of the Decepticon's said-}

{Ignore what they say! They're all lying fraggers.} Sunstreaker snarled through the bond suddenly. {We need our full concentration to fight, Molly.}

{Oh. Oh, you mean close the bond..? Oh, right. Okay.}

{Don't worry, okay? We're coming.} Sideswipe assured, right before the bond was clamped shut.

"Are you okay?" Thundercracker was eyeing me up uncertainly. "The sparkling's not coming right now, is it?"

"It's not coming at all." I snapped at him, just as the sparkling kicked out at my gestation chamber. I couldn't stop the howl of surprise and pain that left my vocaliser, startling Thundercracker.

Soundwave turned his head to stare. "Query: Does Autobot believe Soundwave now?"

I glared at him furiously. "The sparkling stretched. That doesn't-"

"Sparkling: is beginning to break out of gestation chamber."

I froze, staring blankly at him. "Break.. Out..?"

Thundercracker frowned. "You do know how this works, right?"

I stared at him with wide optics. "Wh- no! No, the sparkling isn't supposed to be coming for another few days!"

Thundercracker rolled his optics in disgust. "So the Autobots don't even tell carrying bots how much it's gonna hurt, huh?"

"Hurt?" I echoed.

Soundwave shot him a look. "Pain: manageable. Statement: must get Autobot to Lord Megatron."

"No!" I hissed in shock and fear. "He'll kill me and my sparkling!"

Thundercracker looked as though he wanted to reassure me, but couldn't. Soundwave barely glanced around. "Autobot: is expendable."

"You just said-"

Soundwave held up a hand to silence me. To my surprise, it worked. "Decepticon's: shall use sparkling. Autobot: technically unneeded."

I shrank back into Thundercracker. To my further surprise, the big mech settled his hand on my shoulder. "Well, that's not technically true. The sparkling would need it's carrier in order for its spark to be stable, right?"

Soundwave gazed at him, but said nothing.

Thundercracker carried on. "The sparkling would need someone to raise it, so killing her would be a bad idea."

"I'm totally with Thundercracker on this one." I inserted.

Soundwave nodded once before gesturing at us to keep walking. As we took our first few steps forward, the sparkling pushed at the lining of my gestation chamber and my legs buckled.

Soundwave appeared to had been ready for this, and he caught me with great ease, before pushing me towards Thundercracker. "Order: Carry Autobot."

Thundercracker scowled at the order, before picking me up bridal style, the way only the twins ever picked me up. I struggled immediately, pushing at his larger chassis as I tried to get free. "Stop! Let me go!"

Thundercracker frowned disapprovingly at me. "You are in no position to walk. I'm being nice. Let me carry you."

I stared at him for a long moment, vents heaving. "Fine." I said at last, easing back slowly.

Thundercracker looked pleased with my submission as he caught up with Soundwave. "Starscream is at the main entrance of the base."

Soundwave nodded once and changed direction towards the main entrance. The sparkling shifted and nudged at the entrance to the gestation chamber as Thundercracker turned around, and I stiffened as it began pushing. "Ow." I said confusedly.

Thundercracker glanced at me. "You okay?"

It suddenly occurred to me that he sparkling was trying to push its way out. "Um.. Just out of curiosity, if the sparkling was trying to come out, what would I do?"

Soundwave turned his head, and his visor bore into me. "Query: is sparkling pushing?"

I scowled in defeat. "Yeah."

Soundwave stilled for a moment. "Order: Place Autobot on floor."

Thundercracker hesitated. "She's going to deliver on the floor? There has to be a berth or a couch somewhere for her-"

"Repeat order: Place Autobot on floor."

Thundercracker scowled irritably, but delicately laid me down on the floor as if I would break. The sparkling pushed again and I made a surprised noise mixed with a groan of pain. "Well, I guess this isn't as bad as it could be."

Soundwave and Thundercracker shared a look, before the winged Decepticon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I think it actually gets a lot worse."

I paused. "Oh."

Soundwave turned to Thundercracker. "Order: Contact Starscream and insist he cause distraction."

Thundercracker scowled. "I don't think Starscream is gonna like being ordered around. By me or you."

Soundwave ignored him, and he sighed before following his orders. I made another pained sound as the sparkling began pushing its way out of my gestation chamber; it felt like it was ripping its way out. Soundwave reached forwards and began to detach my stomach plates. I jerked away from him. "What are you doing!"

Soundwave raised his head to stare at me. "Order: relax. Statement: Deliverance easier with less tension."

I tried to relax, as he said, but ended up squirming as the sparkling clawed at the walls of my gestation chamber. "It hurts."

"Soundwave: knows." The Decepticon communications officer intoned as he removed he rest of my stomach plating. "Statement: You will be fine."

"Soundwave's done this before." Thundercracker knelt next to me, watching Soundwave as he looked over my abdomen.

"Order: hold femmes hand."

Thundercracker glanced up at him disbelievingly. "What?"

"Repeat order: hold femmes hand."

Thundercracker gaped at him, before sheepishly taking my hand. I jerked slightly, but it was more to do with the sparkling tearing my insides apart than from the Decepticon holding my hand. "Tell me you have pain killers." I groaned.

"Negative."

I groaned louder and buried my face in Thundercracker's leg. "Make it stop!" I groaned as the sound of ripping metal was audible from my abdomen.

Thundercracker stared down at my stomach in horror. "Is the sparkling meant to do that?"

"Affirmative. Sparkling: makes its own way out."

Thundercracker looked as though he were about to throw up.

The sparkling, most likely accidentally, clawed through a sensitive wire, and I screeched in pain. "Holy shit!"

Soundwave's visor flickered disapprovingly. "Language."

"Knock me out, please!" I begged, wriggling in pain.

Soundwave looked as though he was about to reply, just when another sound of ripping metal sounded, and my scream echoed down the halls.

"Primus, just turn off her pain receptors!" Thundercracker reached towards my neck, but Soundwave grabbed his arm.

"Negative. Femme status: Autobot."

"So what?!" Thundercracker yelled, pulling his arm free and grabbing at a bundle of wires in the back of my neck. I hissed, but stopped as the pain abruptly vanished.

"Thank you." I gasped. I couldn't help sending a nasty look towards Soundwave for wanting me to be in pain.

For his part, the communications officer didn't seem bothered. Instead, he said "Status on sparkling?"

I glanced down at my stomach. I could still feel the sparkling tearing its way out of my gestation chamber, but the pain wasn't registering any more. "It's tearing open my gestation chamber."

Thundercracker visibly winced. "I am never having a sparkling."

"Reminder: Thundercracker does not have carrier coding."

Thundercracker scowled, before looking back to me and muttering under his breath "I was being metaphorical."

Soundwave's sharp, claw-like fingers ran across the protoform on my stomach area, and it took a moment for me to realise he was making an incision.

"Whoa, wait! What are you doing?" I tried to sit up, but Thundercracker pulled me back down.

Soundwave didn't answer, instead plunging his hands into the incision. I squealed and writhed under Thundercracker's restraining hands; despite my disabled pain receptors, the discomfort was overwhelming.

"Statement: Soundwave has sparkling."

My optics widened and I tried to sit up again, but Thundercracker kept me pinned down. I squealed again as he began to pull. The feeling of something being tugged out of my gestation chamber was extremely disconcerting.

Thundercracker gagged and looked away, wrinkling his nose at the noises of tearing metal as Soundwave pulled the sparkling out. There was a sound of crumpling metal, and I realised that I had crushed Thundercracker's hand. "I'm so sorry!"

Thundercracker growled in pain, pulling hand away. "'S fine."

I glanced away in time to see Soundwave extracting the sparkling fully. As a sharp cry broke the air, I stared in shock at the tiny being in the blue cassette decks arms. "C-can I-?" I reached tiredly and hopefully for my baby.

Soundwave said nothing as he handed my sparkling over. Iridescent fluids dripped off tiny limbs as the sparkling wailed. I couldn't tear my gaze away. "Is it.. Is it a mech or a femme?"

"Sparkling: mech."

A tired grin spread across my face as I stroked my sparkling's face. His wails quietened slightly, but didn't stop. His little silvery-grey arms waved around, and his blue optics looked too large for his face. "Heya." I whispered, rocking him gently.

"Command: stay still." Soundwave ordered as he melded something to my stomach before reattaching my stomach plates.

I didn't even glance up, too busy staring at the newborn wonder in my arms. Thundercracker made a noise like he was clearing his throat. "We should probably go. Starscream is screaming down the trinebond at me."

Soundwave nodded and stood, before gesturing at me. Thundercracker looked as though he was holding back a snapped retort as he picked me up. I was so exhausted, I didn't even fight. My head just flopped onto his chest as he walked.

The sounds of fighting drifted down the corridors, and Thundercracker glanced at his superior. "Maybe you should go ahead and I should take M- the Autobot femme after you."

Soundwave paused, before nodding and making his way to the bottom of the hall. I was struck by the silence and grace with which he moved, even through my haze of exhaustion.

The sparkling shifted and mewled in my arms, and I pulled him closer automatically. I was so caught up in my baby I barely noticed Thundercracker moving down a corridor until he said "Which way to the exit?"

I looked up in surprise. "What?"

"The exit. Quickly." He hissed.

"Down the hall to the left."

He almost ran down the hall, holding me tightly so he didn't drop me. In turn, I clutched my sparkling, who mewled again. "Please don't let the Autobots shoot me."

"What are you doing?" I asked, clutching my sparkling closer.

Thundercracker glanced down at the sparkling quickly, before speeding up down the hall. "You don't deserve what Megatron will do to you."

I fell silent as Thundercracker stepped through one of the alternative fire exits. My sparkling let out a sharp wail as the cold air washed over him, and I clutched him closer to my chest.

Thundercracker set off around the base, following the sounds of gunfire. He rounded the corner of the building and halted as he took in the battle for a moment, before heading to the edge of it.

"Where are we going?" I asked, cradling my sparkling closely. He had started to twitter, and continuously reached for my face. After a second I lowered my face to him, and his little hands ran over my faceplates.

"Looking for an Autobot to give you to." Thundercracker answered, smiling slightly at the sight of the sparkling playing with my face.

I nodded and glanced back up and caught sight of a vaguely familiar mech. "There! Give me to Blaster!"

Thundercracker hesitated, before nodding and making his way over to the bright red boombox. Blaster had paused in his fighting to stare blankly at the sight of he Decepticon Seeker carrying me and my sparkling over him. Slowly, he trained his gun on Thundercracker.

"No, don't." I insisted, shaking my head. "He's trying to help."

Blaster narrowed his optics suspiciously, but lowered his gun slightly. "How do Ah know tha' this ain't a trap?"

"I just gave birth, Blaster." I snapped irritably, "Give me a break."

"I need you to take her." Thundercracker held me out to the normally cheerful red mech.

Blaster's optics had flickered to the sparkling in my arms, and he didn't look away as he reached out his arms to carry me. Thundercracker looked down too as I transferred holds, and smiled at the tiny sparkling, who was still dripping fluids and looking none too happy about it. Blaster straightened up, before saying "Where're the twins?"

"I don't know. We cut off the bond when they were fighting."

Thundercracker stepped back suddenly, and smiled very slightly. "I'd better get going. Take care of that sparkling. It's pretty much the last hope for our race." He said, before taking a few running steps and transforming into a sleek blue jet, taking off into the sky.

"Well that's... a lot of pressure."

Blaster didn't answer, he just looked around, "Okay, okay... Um... Oh Primus, Ah need Ratchet!" He roared suddenly.

Several 'bots paused in their fighting and glanced around. Ironhide, who hadn't bothered turning as he was locked in combat with four Decepticon drones, roared "He set up a field station with First Aid by the main hangar!"

Blaster didn't waste any time. He sprinted to the main hangar, so fast that I was afraid he would drop me. Meanwhile, my little baby shifted and frowned in my arms, before looking up at me and blinking his comically wide optics. I smiled down at him and cooed softly in reassurance.

"Ratchet!" Blaster gasped as he skidded to a stop in front of the field medic station, almost causing me to topple out of his arms.

Ratchet barely glanced up as he welded a field patch to Bulkhead's upper arm. "What is it, Blaster? I'm busy."

Blaster scowled at him for his lack of interest, before lowering me to the ground next to Bulkhead. "Here's your daughter. I have to go back to battle."

As Blaster returned to the fight, Bulkhead peered curiously into the bundle in my arms. "What's that?"

I grinned and hefted him higher so Bulkhead could see the wide optics and cute face, but didn't say anything. I was waiting for Ratchet to notice.

Bulkhead's mouth dropped open and he stared. "Is that-? Oh Primus. When-? Ratchet was here this whole time!"

Curious, Ratchet looked around to see what we were talking about, and promptly dropped his welder. "What in the-"

"Say hello." I smiled, playing with the tiny hand that was clutching mine.

Ratchet stared in shock. "But- that- how-?"

I offered him to Ratchet. "Do you want to hold him?"

Ratchet stared for a long moment, before nodding slowly and taking the sparkling into his arms, cradling him to his chestplates. "He's beautiful... but I don't understand... You couldn't have been able to deliver on your own-"

"I.. Um.. I wasn't on my own." I admitted sheepishly, watching the sparkling begin to doze off in his granddads arms. At Ratchet's sharp, startled look I continued. "Well, I was in the rec room when the attack started and Sideswipe and Sunstreaker told me to go to our room, but when I went into the corridor two 'Cons were there-"

"Molly." Ratchet interrupted, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb the sparkling. "Please tell me that you are not trying to say you delivered your sparkling with two Decepticon's helping you."

I hesitated. "Well, I did. They were surprisingly helpful."

Ratchet's optics had narrowed. "Who were they? They couldn't have been drones, because they don't have the processor capacity to ignore one of Megatron's orders. And they were ordered to kill."

"Um.. They were Soundwave and Thundercracker."

Ratchet looked as though he were about to choke on the air he had cycled into his vents. "Soundwave?!"

"He's one of the deadliest 'Cons there are!" Bulkhead frowned. "Why would he help an Autobot?"

"I think they wanted my sparkling." I glanced protectively at him, still asleep in Ratchet's arms. "Soundwave said something along the lines of him being the beginning of the repopulation of Cybertron, so they should raise it as a Decepticon."

"How did you get to Blaster?" Ratchet frowned.

"Thundercracker brought me to him."

"A 'Con." Ratchet said sceptically.

"Yes. He was very nice." I said defensively, before remembering something and jerking forwards. "They said Solstice was a Decepticon! She-"

"We know." Bulkhead interrupted darkly.

I faltered. "You know?"

"She's the one that gave the Decepticon's the coordinates to the base. She pretty much led the attack."

I fell silent for a long moment. "Do you know where the twins are?" I asked quietly.

"Taking their anger out on some Decepticon Seekers, I would imagine." Ratchet replied dryly. He smiled down at the sparkling in his arms.

I tensed automatically. "They wouldn't hurt Thundercracker, would they?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Bulkhead scowled, "He's a 'Con."

I opened my side of the bond, and began prodding at their sides, which were still closed. They didn't open it, so I began pinching it, then punching it, then biting at it. All metaphorically, of course. The bond snapped open on Sunstreaker's side, and he snapped {Molly! We're on the way, we just ran into Seekers. We're in the middle of-}

{Two things, really quickly! Number one: don't hurt Thundercracker!}

There was silence. {What?} he asked at last.

{Do. Not. Hurt. Thundercracker.}

{Why the frag not?!}

{Because he's very nice and you should be grateful to him. Thing number two: get down here. Now.}

{Molly.} Sunstreaker growled in annoyance. {We are fighting Seekers. This needs a lot of concentration, otherwise we'll fall.}

{Get your afts down here before I go up on a Seeker's back and drag you down here myself.}

{Why are you-}

{Do you not want to see your son?}

There was total, absolute silence from the bond. I waited a moment for Sunstreaker to reply, but he didn't. I poked experimentally at the bond, just in case it had closed without me realising.

There was a sharp scream from above us, and we all looked up, startled, to see a beautiful tricoloured jet with half a wing torn off do a nosedive towards the ground. Sunstreaker, who was clinging on the jets back, jumped off when he was close enough to the ground. With a shriek, the jet pulled itself out of the nosedive and flew off in a panic, not even bothering to shoot behind it.

I smiled as Sunny made his way over, optics flashing. Ratchet nudged my arm and held out the sparkling, who was now awake and was stretching out his arms towards me. I grinned and took him, nuzzling my face gently against his as his tiny hands clutched at everything they could reach.

Sunstreaker stopped dead a few feet away, staring in no small amount of shock at the sparkling in my arms. I raised an optics ridge at him. "Are you going to say hello?"

Sunstreaker walked closer, before dropping to his knees, still gaping. "That- it's- I don't- is it a mech?" He managed to choke out at last.

I smiled and shuffled closer to him, "He is. Here, hold him."

Sunstreaker recoiled almost automatically, but I ignored him as I placed the sparkling in his arms. Sunstreaker stared down into his arms for a long time, a teeny smiled beginning to stretch the corners of his mouth. "He's beautiful."

I smiled and leaned my head on his shoulder. "I know. Guess who he takes after."

Sunny pressed a kiss to my helm. "You."

I laughed. "I was actually thinking you and Sideswipe."

The sparkling gurgled happily, and Sunstreaker jumped. "Did I hurt him?"

I smiled and shook my head. "He's fine, Sunny. He's happy to feel your spark signature."

"Molly." Ratchet asked sharply. "You should be in a lot of pain right now."

"Thundercracker turned off my pain receptors." I remembered.

Ratchet's optics flashed white. "Turned them off? But that's dangerous! The reason that they should be turned on is to alert you of any problems that could-"

"Thundercracker? The Decepticon Seeker?" Sunstreaker frowned.

I hesitated, glancing at the golden Lamborghini. "Um.. I'll explain later."

"Molly, I need to turn your pain receptors on." Ratchet reached forwards, but I cringed away from him.

"Can't it wait until the battle is over?"

Ratchet glared at me. "The reason pain receptors are so important, is because otherwise you may not know that you are leaking a substantial amount of energon from your stomach."

I glanced down and winced at the sight of glowing blue liquid seeping out from my stomach plates. "Soundwave did a field patch, but it must had come off when Thundercracker or Blaster was carrying me."

"Soundwave?" Sunny demanded.

"Later." I patted his shoulder.

Ratchet glared at me. "Let me fix it, and when we get inside you are turning on your pain receptors."

"Okay." I nodded.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." Sunstreaker stated as Ratchet began welding the tear in my protoform.

I sighed, but Ratchet beat me to saying anything, "As much as it pains me to say this, Soundwave did a good job. He knew what he was doing."

Sunstreaker frowned, so I decided to simply throw myself to the wolves. "I was on my way to the room when I met Thundercracker and Soundwave and they helped me deliver the sparkling but then Soundwave wanted to take the sparkling but Thundercracker carried me away and gave me to the Autobots again. So where's Sideswipe?"

Sunstreaker gaped at me, looking shell shocked. "What?"

"I said 'Where's Sideswipe?'"

"Molly! How could you put yourself in that position?! When you said you were with Decepticons, you never said Soundwave!"

I sat up as Ratchet finished patching me up. "I couldn't do anything else. The bond was closed. And they didn't hurt me. Although I think I crushed Thundercracker's hand."

Sunstreaker sagged, staring at me. "You- you-"

"So where's Sideswipe?" I asked cheerfully, ignoring Sunstreaker's stare.

"He's.. Fighting." Sunstreaker sighed. "He doesn't know about S- the sparkling."

I stared at him. "Oh my god. You were about to call him Simba."

"I was not!" Sunstreaker hissed defensively.

"You were!"

"Molly." Sunstreaker groaned, burying his head in the sparklings stomach plates. The sparkling gurgled in delight at the attention. "Don't tell him."

I laughed. "Alright."

"The battle is over." Ratchet announced suddenly. "Megatron has retreated."

I grinned at Sunstreaker. "Ready to show Sideswipe our sparkling?"

Sunstreaker gave a rare laugh, glancing down to our sparkling. "Sides is gonna freak."

"Understatement." I murmured.

Sunstreaker tilted my head up with his free hand and kissed me gently. "You did a great job." He said as he pulled away.

I smiled at him. "Thank you."

Sunstreaker grinned and helped me up, still holding tight to the sparkling. "Come on. Let's find Sideswipe."


	35. Chapter 35

Sideswipe was staring at the sparkling.

The sparkling was staring back.

Myself and Sunstreaker were waiting for a reaction from either of them.

Ratchet just rolled his optics. He had already turned my pain receptors on and had fixed the tears in my gestation chamber, so the pain was numbed.

I lay on a medical berth in the med bay and watched with Sunstreaker as Sideswipe held the sparkling up to his face. They stared at each other seriously, and I was pretty sure neither of them had blinked since setting optics on each other.

Sunstreaker frowned at his twin as he waited for some kind of reaction other than staring.

Ratchet was also beginning to get irritated by the lack of communication, and he glared pointedly at Sideswipe.

Sides, for his part, appeared completely unaffected, and continued staring at the sparklings face. At last, he broke the silence. "He looks nothing like me."

Ratchet slowly glared at him. "_That's_ the first thing you have to say about your son?" He demanded.

Sideswipe's brow furrowed as he gazed at the sparkling. The sparkling instinctively copied the motion, pulling his tiny optic ridges together in a miniature frown as he stared back at his creator. Sideswipe couldn't hold it in anymore. He burst out laughing and hugged him close. "Hey, Simba. _Damn_, you took your time!"

"We're not calling him-"

"Shut up, Sunny." Sideswipe said cheerfully as he bounced the sparkling up and down in his arms. "Aren't you the cutest thing?"

The sparkling gurgled and tried to grab at Sideswipe's audio horns. Sunstreaker snorted as Sideswipe yelped in pain.

Ratchet huffed irritably. "Must you two idiots clutter up my med bay with your presence?"

Sideswipe grinned and turned the sparkling around so that he was staring wide-opticked at Ratchet. "C'mon, Ratch. How can you tell this adorable little face to leave?"

"I wasn't. I was telling _your_ face to leave." Ratchet snapped irritably.

"Dad." I sighed. "Please just let them stay."

Ratchet sighed, before jerking his thumb at the berth I was lying on. "Sit on the berth with her. Don't annoy anyone."

Sideswipe grinned and climbed onto the medical berth with me and Sunny, rocking the sparkling gently. "Can you pass me the sparkling energon?"

Sunstreaker passed him the cube that had been crudely fashioned into a bottle shape as Ratchet pulled open the privacy curtain that had been separating us from the rest of the bay.

As soon as the curtain was pulled back, every other 'bot in the med bay turned to face us. And there was an abundance of faces. Ratchet paused and stared at them all. After a moment, he huffed angrily. "Anyone who is not wounded,_ get OUT_!"

There was much shuffling as almost half the 'bots began to leave. Sideswipe chuckled as they tried to peer in before they left. "We'll have to introduce the little guy to everyone later on."

"After he gets a name." Sunstreaker murmured.

"He has a name." Sideswipe pointed out, lifting the sparkling up to his face and grinning, "Right, Simba?"

Sunstreaker glared at him, but before he could say anything, Jazz was limping over to us. My optics widened when I saw him. "Jazz! What happened?"

Jazz's visor was shattered, with one optic shining dimly behind it. He was missing an arm, and one of his knee joints had been shattered. Every inch of his frame was dented and torn, and he was leaking energon from at least fifteen places. Even so, he was grinning as he gazed at the sparkling. "Wow. He's beau'iful."

The sparkling had begun to suckle at the energon bottle, draining it swiftly. Sideswipe gazed down at him and grinned. "Isn't he?"

Jazz limped closer and smiled, although it looked painful. "He's adorable."

"JAZZ!" Someone shouted angrily. We all glanced up in surprise to see Prowl storming over angrily. He didn't look injured in the slightest, and he stopped right in front of Jazz and glared at him. "What do you think you are doing?"

Lesser mechs would have wilted under that glare, but Jazz grinned brazenly. "I'm sayin' hello to the sparklin'! Look at 'im, Prowler!"

Prowl gave the twins and I a swift glance and a quick "Congratulations," before turning back to Jazz. "Ratchet gave you very specific orders to not move from that berth in case you injure yourself further."

Jazz frowned at him. "Prowler, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." I pointed out, staring at him man injuries. "I'm surprised you can even stay standing."

"Sheer stubbornness." Jazz grinned.

"Jazz, you fought _Megatron_. I say fought. I really mean he smacked you around before moving on to Prime."

"I'm _fine_!" He said with a hint of irritation, right before his crushed knee joint gave out completely and he fell.

Prowl caught him before he could hit the ground and scooped him up into his arms. The tactician gave us a hint of a smile. "Enjoy your family time." He said, before carrying Jazz away, ignoring Jazz's pained protests at being treated like a sparkling.

I glanced over to Sideswipe, only to see he had a scheming, calculated look to his optics. "Sideswipe. Stop."

Sides glanced up, surprised. "What?"

"Stop that. I can see you're planning something."

Sideswipe grinned and nodded. "Yeah. I'm gonna set them up."

I faltered. "What?"

"Jazz and Prowl. I think they need a little push."

I hesitated, because now I couldn't argue with him. Instead, I glanced down at the now-dozing sparkling. Sideswipe followed my gaze and smiled softly. "I can't believe he's all ours."

Sunstreaker's lips quirked up and he traced his finger lightly over his sparklings belly. "Damn. We made a fine looking sparkling."

Sideswipe grinned. "Yep. Our coding must be something magnificent. And Molly's is great, too." He added, kissing my cheek. "How are you feeling now?" He asked, suddenly serious as his eyes flicked to my still healing stomach.

"Better." I assured him. "Still kind of sore, but a lot better."

"_Noooooooooo_..."

We all glanced over to see where the outburst had come from, and blinked in surprise to see Jazz clinging to Prowl's arm. Prowl looked vaguely embarrassed at Jazz's actions, and he glanced at Ratchet, who was standing over Jazz with a syringe. "What did you _give_ him?"

Ratchet barely glanced. "He was in a lot of pain. I gave him some painkillers. Although I may have used a larger dosage than necessary, but that was in case he decided to get up again."

Prowl glanced back to Jazz and tried to detach the smaller 'bots arms from him, but Jazz clung on tighter and wailed. "Prowler, don' leave!"

Prowl froze. "Okay."

I laughed at the sight, before leaning back and snuggling into Sunstreaker. I was so exhausted that my optics kept offlining on their own.

Sunstreaker, as observant as ever, noticed. "Recharge, Molly. We'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"Of course." Sunstreaker kissed my forehead.

I glanced to Sideswipe. "You'll be careful with the baby?"

"Of course! Simba'll be fine!" Sideswipe grinned. "Have we ever done anything stupid before?"

I stared at him.

Sunstreaker stared at him.

Ratchet, who was half way across the room, turned around to stare at him.

"Maybe it's best you don't answer that." Sideswipe decided after a moment.

I sighed, but Sunstreaker trailed his hand over the back of my neck. "Everything will be fine. Go on and recharge."

I nodded, before finally dropping off to some much-needed sleep.

/I/

"Here it is!" Wheeljack gestured excitedly at the object covered with a tarp in our quarters.

The twins looked dubiously at it, and I rocked Simba gently to try and get him to sleep. Finally, Sideswipe said "What is it?"

Wheeljack's head fins lit up brightly in pure delight at the question. "I'll show you!" He bounced on his feet in excitement and prepared to pull the tarp off.

"Is it going to explode?" Sunstreaker glared at the excited scientist. "Because our sparkling is in the room."

"No! I tested it, don't worry!" Wheeljack waved a hand, before swiftly yanking off the tarp.

"It's a crib." I smiled at Wheeljack. "Thanks, 'Jackie."

Wheeljack beamed. "No problem! I'm happy to help! And look what's in it!"

I stepped closer to the crib and smiled wider upon seeing all the teddies and toys that it was filled with. "Oh wow. Did you make all these yourself?"

Wheeljack nodded proudly. "Perceptor helped."

Sideswipe clapped Wheeljack on the shoulder. "Thanks, buddy."

Wheeljack beamed. "I also made a couple of bottles," he pointed at the metal baby bottles, which were also included in the crib. "And if you need anything else, just call me! I'll do my best to get it for you."

"Aww, thank you." I kissed Wheeljack's cheek, "You're the best."

Wheeljack grinned. "It was no problem. I wanted Simba to have something from his Uncle Wheeljack."

Sunstreaker scowled. "His name isn't Simba. We haven't come up with a name yet."

Wheeljack blinked. "Oh. Alright. Well anyway," he grinned at us, "I'd better get going. I've gotta bring some energon to Ratchet. He always forgets to refuel." Wheeljack gave the sparkling a fond smile, before waving goodbye to us.

Sideswipe watched Wheeljack intently as the scientist left our quarters. I groaned when I recognised the matchmaking glint to his optics. "Sides..."

"They would be good together." Sideswipe decided.

Sunstreaker rolled his optics as he began inspecting some of the toys Wheeljack and Perceptor had made. "I don't think Ratchet would be in anyway pleased if you stuck your nose into his romantic life- oh, this is cute." He tilted his head at a lion plush toy he had found in the crib.

Sideswipe's optics grew when he saw it. "Oh, they made Simba a Simba teddy!"

Sunstreaker shot him an irritated look. "Stop calling him Simba."

"Nope."

I smiled tiredly and sat down on the berth, still nursing the sparkling closely. He had closed his optics and had begun to drift off to sleep.

"What's this?"

I glanced up to see Sideswipe inspecting a doll. "It's a doll."

Sideswipe threw it back into the crib disinterestedly, before continuing to browse. "Oh my god, they made him a Batman cape!"

"That's a bib, Sideswipe. You wrap it around the sparklings neck to stop any energon spilling when he's feeding."

Sideswipe pouted. "That's no fun. I'm gonna ask Wheeljack to make a Batman cape."

I raised an optic ridge. "For you or for the sparkling?"

Sideswipe grinned. "I'm sure he can make two."

I laughed, before laying back on the berth with the sparkling settled on my chassis. His tiny hands curled as he slept, and I couldn't help but smile at him. "Hey, do you think he could sleep in our berth tonight? I mean, I know we have a crib and everything for him, but... I want him close."

Sunstreaker settled on the berth on my left side, where he usually slept. Running his fingers gently down the sparklings back, he smiled. "I'm with you on this one."

Sideswipe laughed as he slid in on my right side. "Like we would dream of making Simba recharge on his own the first day he's out on his own in the world!" Sideswipe expertly ignored Sunstreaker's glare when he called the sparkling Simba.

"Good." I relaxed and smiled at the sleeping sparkling. Something struck me, and I glanced at both of the twins. "Don't get mad at me, but... you never really talked about Solstice betraying us."

Sunstreaker stiffened immediately, and he withdrew his hands from the sparkling as they clenched. "Don't want to talk about it."

"But-"

"Leave it, Molly." Sideswipe's voice was harsher than I was used to, and I blinked.

"Fine." I said, sitting up and cradling Simba closer to me. I delicately crawled off the berth and headed for the door, careful to keep the sparkling still.

"Where are you going?" Sunstreaker asked from the berth.

"My dads room. I'll be there until you're ready to talk."

"Moll." Sideswipe sounded irritated.

"No, really." I insisted. "You can't just pretend like it never happened, because it did. And I know that most of it was my fault, but-"

"How was it your fault?" Sunstreaker demanded.

"She never liked me, and I made it worse by hanging around you guys, and then I interfaced with you and-"

"Molly, you interfaced with us because we got you overcharged and then dragged you back to our quarters."

"That's not the point. The point is, you need to talk about what happened and how she-"

"Not interested." Sunstreaker grunted.

I hesitated, before sighing. "Okay. I'll be waiting for when you're ready".

I opened the door and walked out. I was about to go straight to Ratchet's, but decided to go to Jazz's room to show him the sparkling first, now that he wasn't in pain. I figured the drugs Ratchet had given him earlier would have worn off.

Simba (I really couldn't stop thinking of him as anything other than Simba) didn't stir as I knocked on Jazz's door.

To my mild surprise, Prowl opened the door. "Molly." He blinked at me, before his optics widened slightly as he took in the sparkling in my arms. "Jazz, Molly is-"

Jazz appeared at the tacticians shoulder, completely repaired and practically vibrating with excitement. "Come in! Oh my Primus, look at 'im! Isn' he the cutest thing, Prowler?"

Prowl smiled very slightly (although it was a great feat for him) at the sparkling. "He is."

Jazz pulled me into the room and almost forced me to sit down as he grabbed energon and presented it to me.

I took it and smiled in thanks, before raising an optic ridge at the two of them. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Prowl's faceplates tinted slightly darker at my suggestion, but betrayed no outward signs of emotion. "Not at all. I was merely visiting to see if Jazz had recovered from his injuries earlier."

Jazz grinned. "'Apparen'ly I went sorta loopy."

Prowl snorted slightly. "Sort of."

Jazz growled playfully at him, before glancing to the sparkling. "Can I 'old him?"

"Of course." I smiled and held the sparkling out.

Jazz took him into his arms as though he were made of glass, before grinning and cooing at him. "Hi there, Simba. Aren' you beau'iful!"

I raised an optic ridge. "Is Sideswipe telling everyone his name is Simba?"

Jazz's visor flickered in confusion. "You mean it isn'?"

Prowl stepped forwards and looked down at the sleeping sparkling. His head tilted affectionately. "If you ever need any help with him, I am sure Jazz and myself would be more than happy to help."

Jazz glanced up at him, surprised. "You offerin' to babysit wit' me?"

Prowl seemed to falter slightly, and his doorwings twitched. "Is that not alright?"

Jazz grinned and bumped the uptight tactician with his hip. "O' course tha's alright."

I grinned at the two of them. "Well, I'm sure we'll have to get you to look after him at some point."

Jazz grinned excitedly. "Yeah, we'd love to!"

Prowl glanced at the excited saboteur and that same tiny smile quirked up the edges of his lips. "Indeed."

I smiled at them. "Good. Anyway, I was just on my way to Ratchet's when I decided to stop by. I'd better go."

Jazz's face fell as he glanced down to the sparkling in his arms. "We c'n come visit another time, righ'?"

I smiled as he reluctantly passed the sparkling back to me. "Of course. I'll see you later."

Jazz walked me to the door and waved as I set off down the corridor again, before heading back in to Prowl. I smiled down at the sparkling, who hadn't even onlined an optics throughout that entire visit.

I reached Ratchet's room and entered the code, before walking inside. I hesitated when I saw the frame of my dad stretched out on the berth, clearly recharging. I sat down on a chair and rocked the sparkling gently as I tried not wake him or Ratchet up.

After about ten minutes I didn't know whether to leave or not, when Sideswipe said over the bond {Molly? We're outside Ratchet's quarters. Are you in there?}

{Yes.} I said slowly.

There was a sigh over the bond. {Will you come back to us?}

I stood up off the chair and opened the door quietly so as not to disturb Ratchet. "Hi." I whispered to them.

Sunstreaker was scowling at the floor, and Sideswipe sighed. "Hey. We'll talk if you'll come back."

I raised an optic ridge at Sunstreaker, who looked less than cooperative. "Will you?"

"Yes." Sunstreaker grumbled at Sideswipe's shove.

"Okay." I said, closing the door and following them as they led the way back to our quarters. Once inside, they shut the door and sat on the berth.

Sideswipe began. "We didn't exactly expect that, you know. For her to betray us, I mean. We had been courting her for close to two thousand years."

"Not really. We had been fragging her for two thousand years." Sunstreaker grunted. "'Courting' implies that we were faithful."

Sideswipe gave him a stern glance. "There is no need to say that we weren't faithful in front of Molly."

"Well I kind of knew that you were unfaithful." I pointed out.

Both twins stared at me. "How?" They demanded at the same time.

I raised an optic ridge at them. "Well, we interfaced when you were still going out with her. That's how this little guy got here."

Sideswipe grinned fondly at his sparkling before continuing. "Well anyway, we know it's bad we cheated, but honestly... I don't regret it. We just didn't... like her."

"You didn't like her." I repeated. "And yet you stayed with her for two thousand years."

Sideswipe scowled. "No judgement allowed."

I sighed, before waving him on. "Continue."

"Even though we didn't like her, and we were only with her for the frags, and she was very clingy, we still didn't expect her to just switch over to the 'Cons."

I tilted my head slightly. "Thundercracker said she had been a spy for a couple of years."

Sunstreaker frowned. "Couple of _years_?"

Sideswipe waved a hand. "He's a 'Con. You can't trust what he says."

I glared at Sideswipe. "He saved my life. I trust him."

Sunstreaker frowned uneasily. "Which one is Thundercracker?"

"The blue Seeker."

Sunstreaker's optics widened in recognition. "Oh yeah. The one that never shoots."

"Never?" I asked.

"Well, sometimes. He shot me when I was attacking Starscream, but I think that was because Starscream was roaring at him to do something." Sideswipe said thoughtfully.

"See? He's nice." I smiled.

"Whatever. Still a 'con." Sunstreaker grumbled. "Anyway, if she was a spy for a few years, does that mean we were fragging a Decepticon?"

The twins exchanged a look before letting out simultaneous "Ewwww!"'s of disgust.

"We gotta go and disinfect our interface equipment." Sideswipe said, wrinkling his nose.

"It's been months since-" I began to point out, but Sideswipe silenced me with a look.

"It doesn't matter how long it had been. This is disgusting."

I tried not to smile in amusement at them. "Okay."

"Are we done talking now?" Sunstreaker asked irritably.

"That depends. Do you feel better?"

"Yeah." Sideswipe said with a grin.

Sunstreaker just grunted, but it sounded like an affirmation.

"Then we're done." I smiled satisfactorily and lay back in my spot on the berth. I settled the sparkling back into its place on my chassis.

The twins settled back into their respective places, and Sideswipe raised an optic ridge. "Promise you won't throw any more diva fits tonight?"

I rolled my optics. "It wasn't a diva fit, Sideswipe. But I'll promise so long as you stop having staring contests with the sparkling."

Sideswipe sighed dramatically. "Very well."

I smiled and settled down. I was almost offline when a thought occurred to me, and I onlined a single optic. "By the way, I don't think you need to set Jazz and Prowl up." I smiled sleepily at the memories from earlier. "I think they're coming together on their own."


	36. Chapter 36

**A friendly anon on Tumblr asked me to update my Tranformers story :) I didn't actually know which story they were talking about, so here you go anyway :P**

**Enjoy, guys :)**

"Molly. Your turn." Sideswipe grunted sleepily.

"No, Sunny's turn." I murmured.

Sunstreaker groaned as he heaved himself up off the berth, trudging towards the sparkling's crib drearily. He picked him up and cuddled him, rocking him lightly until the crying stopped. "Shhh." He encouraged.

Small flickers of safety/comfort flickered through the tiny developing bond between our sparks and the sparkling, and I smiled sleepily at the feeling.

"Is Simba okay?" Sideswipe muttered into the berth.

"He's fine." Sunstreaker sighed, too tired to protest against the name. "Sides, it's time for your patrol."

Sidewipe moaned. "I don't _want_ to go on patrol..."

Sunstreaker ignored him, focusing solely on comforting the sparkling with his energy signature.

Sideswipe sighed and rolled over, spooning my back. Absently, he called to Sunstreaker "What time does _your_ patrol start?"

"Not until ten."

Sideswipe huffed angrily. "Trust Red Alert to give me the patrol at half five in the fragging morning."

I mumbled sleepily. Sideswipe poked me through the bond, and I waved him away tiredly. I sighed as he did it again, more insistently. "Sides. Stop."

Sideswipe kissed the back of my neck. "Do you think we could ask Red for maternity leave? I hear humans do that."

I hesitated. "Maternity leave is generally for the woman that had the baby. But you could ask." I said doubtfully, finally onlining my optics.

Sideswipe grinned. "You think he'd say yes?"

"No. _God_, no. Not at all."

Sideswipe pouted, kissing my neck again. "Hardly fair. I have patrol until ten, when Sunny takes over, and then I have comm. duty, which is a pain in the aft. Then I have free time at two in the afternoon, and then I have monitor duty. What are you going to do for all that time?"

I paused thoughtfully. "I could visit my dad again. He loves seeing Sim-" I broke off in the middle of my sentence, glancing swiftly to Sunstreaker in case he was annoyed.

He had barely noticed what I had nearly called the sparkling, as he was too preoccupied with smiling and soothing Simba in his arms.

Sideswipe grinned, and kissed me again, this time higher up on my neck. I could tell he was pleased that I had called the sparkling by the name he had chosen, because his kisses had intensified. "So, yeah. I'll visit my dad."

Sideswipe kissed my neck one last time before rolling to his feet. "Do you think Red Alert would notice if I didn't turn up?"

"He'd probably send out a search party." Sunstreaker commented.

After seeing the security directors paranoid side, I was inclined to agree. He had gone so far as to demand a full body scan of me in case Soundwave had managed to insert some kind of spy equipment into my gestation chamber when he had his hands in my abdomen. Ratchet had hit him with a wrench. Twice.

Sideswipe kissed me again, and I watched as he made his way over to Sunstreaker and the sparkling. "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to go, Simba." He kissed the sparkling's head. "I'll see you guys later, yeah?"

"Yeah." Sunstreaker grunted, still rocking the sparkling.

Sideswipe smiled, before reluctantly heading to his patrol. After a moment, Sunstreaker came back to the berth and climbed in beside me. I curled up to his warmth and trailed my finger down Simba's stomach. "Simba isn't such a bad name, you know." I said conversationally.

Sunstreaker huffed air from his vents. "I guess... now that he's here.." He gazed down at the sparkling, who gurgled and waved his arms. Sunstreaker's lips quirked up in a tiny smile.

I kissed his shoulder plates fondly. "So you can stop arguing with Sides now."

"I suppose so." He muttered grumpily.

I grinned at him, glancing back at the sparkling. "He's beautiful, isn't he?"

"Yeah." He murmured quietly. "Yeah, he is."

The sparkling had inherited Sideswipe's helm-shape and audio horns, but his features were more like Sunstreaker's. His optics were huge, too big for his face, and his frame was stocky and shiny.

"I never thought I'd have a kid." Sunstreaker said, so quietly that I almost didn't hear despite the fact I was right next to him.

I looked at him, surprised.

He saw my look and quickly said "No, I don't mean that I don't-"

"I know." I smile and pressed my lips to his shoulder again. "Go on."

"I- well, I never thought I'd have a kid. I could always imagine Sideswipe having a kid, but never me. I mean, we're split spark twins, which means that we're literally the same person in two bodies... so, I guess we would always have had the same sparkmate, but I just.. I never saw myself with a sparkling."

It was the longest I had heard Sunstreaker talk about himself. His appearance not included. I tilted my head, stroking Simba's cheek. "Does the idea of being a dad bother you?"

"No! No.." Sunstreaker gazed down at the tiny being in his arms. "Not anymore... I love him, and he's barely three days old. I guess it's just.. it's going to take some time to get used to."

"Well, you're doing great so far." I promised, leaning on him as I rubbed Simba's tummy. The sparkling giggled, and his little hands clenched around my finger.

"Go back to recharge." Sunstreaker said, smiling slightly at the sparkling. "You need it. You're still exhausted."

I sighed and nodded, cuddling up to Sunstreaker again. I was asleep in moments.

/I/

I grunted in pain as Ratchet poked at my abdomen. "Ow."

"Hm." He said thoughtfully, running his hand over the weld on my protoform. "It seems to be healing nicely."

"That's good." Sunstreaker commented from where he stood with Simba.

"Yes." Ratchet said absently, examining my stomachplates. He straightened up a moment later. "You're fine. You should be healed fully in a few days."

My optics flickered in surprise. "A few days? That's... quick."

"I'm just that good. Now," he turned to Sunstreaker. "Do I get to see my grandcreation?"

Sunstreaker held out Simba cautiously. Ratchet stepped forwards, smiling softly as he reached for the sparkling. Sunstreaker watched carefully as my dad held the sparkling close to his chest.

My dad's smile widened as the sparkling gurgled and waved his arms. "Hello there."

Sunstreaker sat next to me and put his arm around my waist, keeping a close optic on Ratchet. "Don't drop him."

Ratchet shot Sunstreaker a dirty look. "I _have_ raised a sparkling myself, you know."

Sunstreaker grip around my waist tightened. "I know that. Just be careful."

Ratchet rolled his optics. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Sunstreaker frowned. "My doesn't start for another-" his optics widened. "Oh, slag."

I held back a sigh. "You're late again?"

Sunstreaker didn't answer, hopping off the berth. He patted the sparklings head before giving me a wave and heading out the door.

Ratchet turned his attention back to me, smiling fondly. "He's beautiful."

I laughed. "I know."

Ratchet cooed softly, rocking his arms gently. "I haven't seen such a beautiful sparkling since you were younger."

"You haven't seen any sparkling's since I was younger." I pointed out.

"Even so." Ratchet smiled, stroking Simba's cheek.

The door to the medbay slid open, and Bluestreak stuck his head in. "Um.. Ratchet?"

Ratchet looked around, his face morphing into a look of annoyance. "What?"

"I- I'm.." Bluestreak looked vaguely embarrassed. "I-"

"Just go in!" Someone behind Bluestreak shoved him in the door, and the young Praxian stumbled in.

The twins' friend, Smokescreen, followed in behind him, and behind him came Jazz, who was grinning sheepishly.

Ratchet stared blankly. "Did you... glue yourselves together?"

Bluestreak took a vent of air. "Well, Wheeljack was testing a new adhesive, and he put it down on his table and I didn't know what it was so I picked it up and one thing led to another and now.. We're stuck."

Ratchet closed his optics, clearly praying for patience. "Molly.."

I stepped forwards and took the sparkling off his hands, before returning to my seat on one of the medical berths. Simba made a little murmuring noise as he cuddled closer to my chestplates, onlining his optics.

Ratchet directed them all to a med berth, ignoring the complaints as they were tugged along. Bluestreak's hand was glued to Smokescreen's head, Smokescreen's elbow was glued to Bluestreak's cheek, and Jazz's chin was glued to Smokescreen's chest and his hand to Bluestreak's back.

"How did that even happen?" I had to ask.

Smokescreen sighed. "I'm not too sure."

Simba let out a soft, sharp cry. Everyone's attention shifted and they stared at the sparkling. "Is he okay?" Jazz sounded startled.

"Yeah, just hungry." I rocked Simba as I grabbed at a bottle-shaped cube of energon and lowered it to the sparkling's mouth. His little lips latched on to the bottle and he began suckling away.

"Awww." Jazz crooned in delight. "He's so cute!"

Bluestreak tried to see the sparkling around Smokescreen's elbow. "Smokey-"

"I can't move, Bluestreak!"

I held back a grin as they shoved at each other. Jazz was trying not to get caught in the turmoil. "So, how is Simba doing over there?"

"He's fine." I laughed. "Are you guys okay?"

"No!"

I held back another laugh and turned my attention to Simba as he pushed the bottle away. His tiny faceplates scrunched up and I felt him prodding at the new, faint bond. He was looking for the twins.

I climbed down from the berth and glanced over at Ratchet. First Aid had emerged from the back room to help him untangle the mass of limbs that was Smokescreen, Bluestreak and Jazz. "Dad, I'm just gonna... um.. go."

Ratchet made a grunt, and I took that as a sign that he heard me. I left the med bay quickly, as Simba started to cry. "Hey, there. It's okay." I cooed, rocking him gently as I went down the corridor, searching for either of the twins. Seeing as Sunstreaker was already late, I headed to the Communications deck to see Sideswipe.

He was sitting hunched over a comm. station when I walked in. His optics were offline and his shoulders were slumped. I raised an optic ridge when I realised he was asleep. "Sideswipe?"

The red twin jerked, whirling around and looking up at me, startled. "Wh- oh. Molly? What are you-?"

I rolled me optics and pulled up a chair next to him. Simba stretched his little arms towards his creator, and I placed him in Sideswipe's waiting arms. "Simba wanted to see you. And I'll just pretend that I didn't see you sleeping."

Sides grinned sheepishly. "It's a long day. But I asked Red Alert and he said that he wouldn't give me maternity leave, but me and Sunny can have reduced shifts! I still have to get up at the same time every morning, but I can finish at three instead of six!"

"That's great!" I grinned. I honestly hadn't expected Red Alert to do anything of the sort.

The sparkling gurgled, pleased with Sideswipe's familiar sparkbeat. I could still sense his confusion as to where Sunstreaker was. Sideswipe began cheerfully pulling faces at the sparkling.

"Sideswipe-" Prowl began stiffly, getting up from his work station. He paused when he noticed the sparkling. "Ah. You are excused."

Sideswipe looked up in surprise. "Huh?"

"You are excused." Prowl repeated, looking pointedly at the sparkling in his arms. "Consider it 'family time'."

Sideswipe stared confusedly at him for a long moment, before his face split into a grin. "Thanks, Prowler!"

Prowl's doorwings twitched in irritation at the nickname, but he nodded and returned to his seat. Sideswipe bounced in excitement and stood up. He held the sparkling in one arm and held my hand with the other.

"Where are we going?"

"To find Sunny." Sideswipe said happily. "He's outside on patrol. He said he'd meet us outside the main hangar."

I nodded and allowed him to pull me along the corridors. As we walked, Sideswipe began talking to the bundle of limbs in his arms. "So, how're you liking it out here, Simba? I know it's pretty different to mommy's gestation chamber, but I think you'll like it. You're such a pretty sparkling, aren't you? Yes you are!"

I smiled at Sideswipe's adoring tone as we stepped outside the main hangar. Sunstreaker was already there, leaning idly against the wall of the building. He straightened up when he saw us coming and nodded.

Sideswipe grinned. "D'you wanna sit over there where the sun is shining? It's warmer."

Sunstreaker and I followed Sideswipe and the sparkling over to a warm patch of ground and we all sat in a triangle. Sunny tilted his head and watched the sparkling as his arms waved in the air. "How has he been?"

"He's been good." I assured him. "I gave him his energon, but he missed his daddies."

Sunstreaker smiled softly and he ran a finger gently over the sparklings head.

Sides hummed softly as he rocked Simba in his arms. The sparkling offlined his optics and fell into a light doze. "He sleeps a lot." Sideswipe observed.

"He's a sparkling." Sunstreaker pointed out. "Remember how much Molly slept when she was a sparkling?" He rubbed my helm and grinned.

"I was an amazing sparkling."

Sideswipe kissed my helm. "Of course you were. You're perfect."

I rested my head on Sideswipe's shoulder as Sunstreaker reached for the sparkling. Sideswipe handed Simba over without a word, and then wrapped his arms around me.

Sunstreaker held the sparkling to his chassis, and Simba murmured in contentment before curling up to the yellow paint. Sunstreaker smiled slightly.

I offlined my optics sleepily, and fell into a doze of my own.

Almost half an hour later, something ran over my face and I jerked awake.

Sunstreaker withdrew his hand, which had been stroking my cheek. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

I smiled sleepily and stretched, before pausing when I realised I was lying across Sunstreaker's lap. "Where's Sideswipe gone?"

"He went for a walk with Simba." He said, stroking my helm again.

I grinned up at him suddenly. "You called him Simba."

Sunstreaker's hand paused, and he growled irritably. "Don't tell Sideswipe."

I laughed and went to sit up, but Sunstreaker held me down with a raised optic ridge. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I was just going to sit up."

Sunstreaker hummed thoughtfully, tightening his grip on me. "I like you on my lap."

I rolled my optics at him, but settled down again, resting my head on his thighs. Sunstreaker resumed trailing his hands down my helm and over my cheeks.

I was just beginning to relax when music began to blast from the speakers all over the base.

"_Nants igonyama bagithi baba_.."

"What _language_ is that?" Sunstreaker asked in bewilderment.

"Oh my god.." My optics widened and I sat up. "How did he hack into the intercoms?"

"_Ingonyama nengw' enamabala_.."

"Where is he?!" Sunstreaker looked around sharply.

I caught sight of something out of the corner of my optic and froze. "Sweet baby Jesus, what is he _doing_?"

Sunstreaker turned his head to follow my gaze, before freezing. "Is he..?"

Several other Autobots had emerged from the main hangar and were gaping in confusion at Sideswipe.

The shiny red frontliner was standing on the roof of the Dinobots' den with the sparkling in his arms.

The Dinobots had emerged from their warehouse and were staring up at Sideswipe. Sludge looked confused, but the rest of them looked amused.

Jazz, who still bore marks from where he had been removed from Bluestreak and Smokescreen, walked over to Sunstreaker and I, grinning madly. "Siders looks like he's havin' fun."

Sunstreaker growled irritably. "I can't believe I'm related to that slaghead."

Jazz giggled and looked back to Sideswipe. Prowl walked over to Jazz and stood next to him, frowning at Sideswipe. "I am certain that this breaks at least _four_ protocols."

Jazz grinned and shifted his weight onto his other leg, leaning slightly closer to Prowl. "Ah, he's on'y havin' some fun, Prowler." He bumped Prowl with his hip, causing Prowl to frown disapprovingly at him. "Relax."

Under any other circumstances, I would have thought they were unbelievably cute. As it was, I couldn't stop staring at Sideswipe as he held Simba out over the Dinobots.

"If he drops my sparkling," I snarled, narrowing my optics dangerously, "I swear to Primus, I'll shove my foot up his-"

"Calm down." Jazz said insistently, grinning up at Sideswipe. "It's all good."

_"-the sun rolling high, through the sapphire sky, keeps great and small on the endless rounds-"_

Sideswipe lifted the sparkling up and held him outstretched over the edge of the building. The Dinobots knelt down at the exact same time, as if it had all been practised.

Sunstreaker voiced my thoughts. "Did Sideswipe _rehearse this_?!"

_"It's the circle of life, and it moves us all.."_

I buried my head in my hands. Behind us, Optimus was staring in bemusement at the scene. Ironhide stood next to him, gaping blankly, and Wheeljack had his head tilted confusedly. Rewind stood next to Chromedome, and I sighed when I saw the red light on his helm was on. He was recording.

"Is Sideswipe recreating the Lion King?" Will demanded, stopping dead as he emerged from the main hangar. Laurie, her cousin Jason, and several other soldiers followed behind him.

I sunk down next to Sunstreaker. "Do you think we could pretend not to know him?"

"I think we should start edging away now."

And with that, we began edging away.


	37. Chapter 37

Predictably, it took a while for everyone on base to get used to the idea of having a sparkling in the ranks.

For the mechs who had been around when I was a sparkling, it was like a bad sense of déjà vu. Or at least, that was what Jazz said.

For the newer mechs, who hadn't been around when I was a baby, it was strange. It had been quite a while since they had seen a sparkling, so as a result they regarded Simba with great caution.

Unfortunately, when Simba learned how to work his leg struts in order to crawl, it became difficult to keep him out of trouble.

Which is how myself and the twins came to asking Jazz for his help in getting Simba out of the air vents.

"I honestly don't know how he got in there! I swear, I just put him down on the floor for a minute and he disappeared!" Sideswipe babbled desperately. "I don't know how he got in there!"

Jazz said nothing as he fished around the vent, sitting on Sunstreaker's shoulders so he could reach farther into the passage. "Got 'im!" He yelled triumphantly.

A squeal echoed from the vents, and I frowned reproachfully at the saboteur. "Don't hurt him!"

Jazz glared at me from behind his visor. "Oh sorry, will I jus' let 'im make this vent his new home?"

I decided not to answer as Jazz pulled a squealing sparkling out of the vent by his ankle. I reached out immediately, and Jazz deposited Simba in my arms.

Simba giggled cheekily, looking remarkably like Sideswipe. I sighed in resignation, glancing at said twin. "Try not to lose him next time?"

Sideswipe grinned sheepishly. "It was an accident."

Sunstreaker threw Jazz unceremoniously off his shoulders, grunting something about his paint. He turned to the sparkling and crossed his arms. "What have we told you about crawling off on your own?" His growl was startlingly stern.

Simba's grin turned into a guilty look, and he widened his optics innocently.

Sunstreaker's optics narrowed and he shook his head, silently telling Simba that his puppy dog look only worked on Sideswipe and Jazz. And every other bot on base, of course.

Simba turned his look on Sideswipe, who melted immediately. "Awww, he didn't mean it! He was only playing around!"

Sunstreaker looked at Sideswipe irritably. "I was trying to be strict."

Sideswipe waved a hand. "Sunny, he didn't do anything wrong!"

"Yes, he did!"

Jazz scratched his helm awkwardly. "I'm gonna go meet Prowler. See ya later."

The twins stopped their arguing, and we all looked around at the same time to stare at Jazz. Even Simba blinked at him. A grin spread across my face. "Awww."

"Shut up." Jazz muttered, although he was grinning as he walked away.

I giggled, setting Simba on my hip. His little legs tightened around my waist and he clung onto my neck like a koala. "Let's get you your energon, hm?"

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker followed me back down the corridor as we returned to our quarters. I set the sparkling down on the floor and went to get his energon.

Sideswipe settled down in front of Simba on the floor and made a face. Simba giggled and tried to mimic the expression.

I sat down next to Sideswipe and waved the energon at Simba. He grinned excitedly and stretched out his arms, wiggling his hands to express his desire for the energon.

I handed him the bottle-shaped container and watched as he lifted it to his face. He missed his mouth the first time, and energon dribbled down his face. He was on target the second time, and started sucking down the energon.

I wiped the spilled energon off his little face with my thumb. "Good boy."

Sunstreaker scowled at Sideswipe where he was sprawled on the berth. "Don't interrupt me next time I'm trying to tell the sparkling he did something wrong."

Sideswipe frowned at him. "I didn't interrupt you, I just-"

"You interrupted me."

"_You_ just interrupted _me_!"

"Well, that's how it feels."

I rolled my optics at them, but couldn't stop myself from smiling at them. "Guys, give it a rest."

"Sideswipe was undermining my authority!" Sunstreaker whined.

I raised an optic ridge at Sideswipe, who sighed and said "Sorry, Sunny."

"Don't call me that." Sunstreaker grunted, before glancing back to his twin. "Apology accepted, idiot."

"Thanks, fraghead."

Simba threw the now-empty bottle at the wall. It made a loud noise when it collided, causing Simba to shriek in delight and clap his hands.

"Simba." Sunstreaker growled in annoyance.

Simba stopped laughing immediately, his optics widening as a reflex. "Heee?" A small noise of confusion escaped his vocaliser.

Sunstreaker hauled himself off the berth, walking over and snatching the bottle of the ground. He frowned sternly at Simba. "Bad. Don't do that."

Simba scowled and grabbed his feet, before leaning back and rolling on his backplates, legs in the air.

Sunstreaker lay back down on the berth and sighed. He frowned suddenly when he realised Sideswipe was grinning maniacally at him. "What?"

"You called him Simba."

Sunstreaker rolled his optics. "I guess your stupidity is rubbing off on me."

"You called him Simba." Sideswipe's grin widened, and suddenly he leapt to his feet and lunged at Sunstreaker.

Sunstreaker roared as he was tackled by his twin, and they both toppled off the berth. Simba jumped at the loud shouts, and I scooped him up so he wouldn't get crushed by his daddies as they promptly began to wrestle around the floor.

He stretched his arms out immediately, wanting to be part of the action. I moved closer to the twins, wincing as Sunstreaker punched Sideswipe in the back of the head. "Simba wants to play too."

"Play?" Sideswipe frowned. "This is a deadly serious wrestling match to the death."

Simba cooed and reached out again, making grabby motions with his hands. Sunstreaker grabbed his torso and pulled him down, causing him to shriek with excitement. Sideswipe pulled me down too, and pretty soon we were all tangled together. Simba was propped up on Sunstreaker's chassis, shrieking with laughter.

Sunstreaker gave a pretend gasp. "You beat me!"

Simba clapped his hands, before flopping face first onto Sunstreaker's chestplates. Sunny winced as a piece of his paint chipped off.

"I think someone's tired." I commented, smiling at Simba as he offlined his optics and pressed his cheek into Sunstreaker's chestplates.

"I am not." Sideswipe protested.

"She was talking about the sparkling." Sunstreaker rolled his optics.

Sideswipe nuzzled my neck, and I turned to smile at him. He leaned down and kissed me quickly, before I could say anything. "Mmf." I blinked in surprise, but didn't pull back. After a second, I leaned into him and kissed him back.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and rolled so I was under him. I raised an optic ridge at him, but he didn't see.

Sunstreaker sighed, "Sideswipe, not in front of the sparkling."

Sideswipe broke away from me and pouted. "He's not looking!"

"Sideswipe." Sunstreaker growled.

I laughed and patted Sideswipe's shoulder. "Maybe next time."

Sideswipe raised an optic ridge. "Maybe Jazz and Prowl can babysit!"

"Not right now." I laughed, shaking my helm.

Sideswipe sighed dramatically, kissing my helm. "Another time." He promised.

"Mhmm." I rolled on my back so I was situated in the middle of the twins.

Simba's engine began to purr as Sunstreaker petted his back. Sunstreaker chuckled quietly. "When do you think he'll learn how to talk?"

"Another couple of months, maybe." I smiled at Simba's sleeping form. "Don't wish it away. When he learns, he'll never stop. Just look at what happened to Sideswipe."

"Hey!" Sideswipe poked me defensively.

Sunstreaker snorted. "I suppose."

I offlined my optics and rested my helm down on the berth. "Ugh, I'm so tired."

"So rest." Sideswipe nuzzled the back of my helm.

"Yeah, okay... Don't kill the sparkling."

Sideswipe sputtered. "I would never!"

Sunstreaker snorted. "Not on purpose."

/i\

I woke up again an hour or two later, realising I was alone. I groaned and buried my face in the berth.

:•-working?•:

I blinked drowsily and frowned at the unfamiliar comm. channel. :•Hello?•:

:•Hello! Hi there.•:

My optics widened and I sat up slowly. :•Thundercracker?•:

:•You remember me!•:

:•Well.. Yeah. You saved my life.•:

An awkward laugh ensued. :•Oh. Well, I was wondering if I could meet you and the sparkling again.•:

I hesitated, but I honestly couldn't see anything wrong with Thundercracker wanting to meet the sparkling. He seemed very nice. :•Oh.. Well, I'm sure Simba would love to meet you.•:

:•Great! I'm outside your base now-•:

:•YOU'RE WHAT?!•: I panicked.

:•Don't worry, I'm hidden. Come to these coordinates•:

My inbox pinged as he sent me coordinates. I hesitated, before getting off the berth and heading to the door. My hands ghosted to my abdomen, before remembering I didn't have a bump anymore. A feeling of panic washed over me, and I had to forcibly remind myself that the sparkling was safe with the twins.

I slipped down the corridors as quietly as I could. Somehow, no one saw me as I made my way to the coordinates Thundercracker had sent me.

I glanced around uncertainly as I walked into the forest.

"Hello."

I shrieked and whirled around, causing the big blue Seeker to take a startled step backwards. "Jesus! You scared me."

"My apologies." Thundercracker tilted his head, his ruby optics glowing brightly. "Your sparkling is not with you. Is he okay?"

"Oh, he's fine. He's with the twins."

Thundercracker paused and frowned. "Twins.. They wouldn't happen to be Lamborghini twins, would they?"

I raised an optic ridge. "Yes, they would."

Thundercracker rumbled disapprovingly. "They hardly seem like an appropriate choice to mind the sparkling."

I smiled wryly and crossed my arms. "They're the daddies, so..."

Thundercracker's ruby optics flickered in surprise. "They- oh."

I glanced behind me, trying to see around the trees to see the base. I glanced back to Thundercracker and frowned slightly. "How come you're here? Will you not be in huge trouble for this?"

Thundercracker frowned. "You didn't hear?"

I paused for a long moment. "Hear what?"

"Lord Megatron and Prime are meeting this afternoon."

My optics widened slightly. "For what?"

"To discuss a ceasefire for the time being, I believe."

My optics widened further. "Are you being serious?"

"Absolutely."

"But.. Why are you hiding in the bushes?"

Thundercracker scowled. "I'm not. I am simply wary. The other Autobots have not yet been informed of the ceasefire, and I believe some of them would react... badly, if they found me near their base."

I nodded slowly. "Okay.. Speaking of which, how did you get close without Red picking you up on his scanners?"

Thundercracker tilted his helm. "I presume 'Red' is the glitched security director."

"He's not glitched."

Thundercracker ignored me, choosing to plough on. "Soundwave gave me a signal disruptor."

I stared at him. "Soundwave.. helped you. But.. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he want me dead?"

Thundercracker sat down on a tree stump. "Soundwave is very logical. He doesn't really.. it's not that he wanted you dead, he simply saw that as one of the only possible outcomes. The fact that he gave me a signal disruptor to come and visit you suggests he might actually like you."

I blinked again. "Huh. I wouldn't have guessed that by the way he fished around my stomach and then told me I was of no use to you, but that you were keeping my baby anyway."

"Soundwave is a great Communications Officer, but he isn't great at communicating."

"Hm." I said wryly.

"How is your sparkling?" Thundercracker leaned forwards.

I sank down to sit on the ground in front of his tree stump. "He's fine. Sideswipe named him Simba. He's always getting stuck in strange places, ever since he figured out how to crawl. He can't talk, but he can scream pretty damn loudly."

Thundercracker smiled and nodded. "You love him, I presume."

"Of course. With all my spark."

Thundercracker's smiled turned into a slight frown. "And.. The Terror Twins.. They treat you well?"

"Of course."

Thundercracker hummed. "If they do anything wrong-"

"You'll have to get in line to hurt them."

Thundercracker nodded. "I'm a patient mech."

I laughed before I could stop myself. "A patient Decepticon, huh?"

"It's not unheard of." He pointed out, smiling slightly.

I remembered something, and frowned slightly. "You have a trine, right? What do they think of this temporary peace thing?"

Thundercracker hesitated. "Ah. Well.. Starscream has been screaming at Megatron for the last couple of days, more so than usual, and Skywarp... Skywarp is.." He struggled to find words. "Skywarp will not be allowed near the sparkling."

"Is that a statement or are you making that a rule?"

"I am making it a rule."

I grinned. "He can't be that bad."

Thundercracker gave me a serious look. "He is."

Another thought occurred to me and I frowned again, although this time I looked slightly horrified. "If there's a temporary peace treaty... Does that mean we're at peace with Solstice?"

Thundercracker nodded. "Ah yes, I can see how that may be awkward. She had taken an Autobot lover, hadn't she?"

"The twins." I confirmed.

"The twi- ahhoh. The twins you are bonded with and who fathered your sparkling?"

"Yes."

Thundercracker blinked. "Yes. I can see you have a dilemma." He tapped his thigh thoughtfully, before shrugging. "I believe she despises you."

I pursed my lips. "No kidding."

"She won't hurt you, though."

I laughed. "Ri-i-ight."

"No, really. She wouldn't dare anger Megatron by ruining the peace he is trying to organise. I believe the ceasefire is going to last for as long as the sparkling is growing up. After that.. I'm not sure."

I nodded slowly, looking around at the trees. "It's going to be hard, isn't it? For the people that have grown so accustomed to fighting. I can't imagine there's going to be a lot of trust."

Thundercracker actually laughed out loud at the thought. "Trust? Primus, no. We'll be lucky if we can stop the fighting!"

I laughed too. "Yeah, I guess. I'm sure some people will be happy with peace, though."

Thundercracker nodded. "Myself included."

{Molly..? Simba got stuck in an air vent again..}

I sighed. "I have to go."

Thundercracker nodded and stood up. "I shall see you tomorrow."

I paused. "You will?"

He nodded. "Your Prime will announce it later. All Autobots and all Decepticon's are meeting together as part of the peace treaty."

"Should be interesting." I said wryly.

He smiled and nodded, before giving me a wave and retreating further into the forest.

{Molly, we seriously can't get him out.}

{I'm coming!}


	38. Chapter 38

review? :D

"Mahhhh."

"Oh, I know." Sideswipe nodded his head in agreement.

Simba gazed up at him in fascination. "Guhh?"

"Yep. Absolutely."

"This is a bad idea." Sunstreaker glanced uneasily at me and Sideswipe.

"I know." Sideswipe looked up seriously.

"It's not going to be that bad." I insisted.

We were waiting outside a massive meeting room that had been built especially for the meeting with the Decepticons. The room was big enough for both the Autobot troops and the Decepticon troops to fit in comfortably.

Jazz was bouncing by the door. "When can we go in?" He asked eagerly.

"Why, missing Prowl?" I giggled.

Jazz grinned at me. "Sure! He's been gone f'r a whole day! He's been even busier than usual with the peace talks thingy."

Sideswipe made kissy faces at him, and Jazz shot him the middle finger. Simba cooed, clearly irritated that Sideswipe's attention was focused on someone else. "Minh."

Sideswipe shifted his focus back to the sparkling in his arms. "Hey, little man. What's wrong?"

Simba scrunched up his faceplates, and Sideswipe stuck his glossa out at him.

The door opened up suddenly, and Optimus framed the doorway, "Autobots," he announced, "You may now enter."

By the time the rest of the Autobots had turned to face Optimus, Jazz had already bounded past him into the room. Sunstreaker snorted at Jazz's enthusiasm, but followed him into the room, glaring around at the mechs inside.

Sideswipe turned back to me and handed me Simba. "I need my hands free, just in case."

I sighed and cradled Simba to my chassis. "Sides, nothing's going to-"

"It's just for peace of mind." He interrupted, leading the way into the room.

I followed him in, smiling at the sight of Jazz leaping onto Prowl. The tactician shouted in surprise and outrage. "Jazz! Not now!"

I blinked slightly at the sight of so many red optics in the room. I held Simba tighter at the sight of Megatron at the front of the room. The huge grey warlord was glaring at his troops, but as the other Autobots trickled in he shifted his glare to us.

The set up of the room reminded me of a ginormous classroom. Megatron and Optimus stood at the front of the room, using stern looks to control their factions. Beside them stood their second in commands, Prowl looking dignified (despite Jazz hanging on to his back) and a mech I guessed was Starscream looking proud. Everyone else was either standing or sitting on the ground in front of them, clearly waiting for them to speak.

I stood next to the twins uncertainly, "So... Do you know anyone?"

Sunstreaker's scowl was even deeper than usual. "Yeah. I think I've tried to kill every single 'con here."

"Oh. Unfortunate." I pursed my lips and shifted Simba so he was more comfortable on my hip. He clutched my neck and cooed.

I glanced around again, and noticed Thundercracker waving at me. The 'cons on either side of him were giving him looks as though he were insane. I waited until the twins were looking away before edging away from them and heading towards the blue Seeker. "Hey." I smiled at him.

"Hello." He smiled back, optics fixed on the sparkling.

"This is Simba." I grinned, bobbing the sparkling on my hip. He giggled and waved his arms, before grabbing onto my shoulder.

Thundercracker smiled and waved a finger at him. Simba's optics widened and he reached up to Thundercracker's face.

Thundercracker recoiled from his hand automatically, looking startled.

"It's okay. He just wants to get familiar with you." I assured him quickly.

Thundercracker looked at me dubiously, before leaning down to Simba again. Simba grinned, the resemblance to Sideswipe slightly startling, before grabbing Thundercracker's face and holding it tightly. "Um.." Thundercracker frowned as Simba patted his cheeks. "I feel slightly uncomfortable."

"He'll be finished in a minute." I grinned.

Thundercracker winced as Simba poked his optic. "Guh?" Simba sounded out confusedly, before pointing to his own optics.

Thundercracker glanced up at me. "Is he okay?"

I sensed the source of confusion through the creator bond. "He doesn't understand why your optics are red."

{Molly!} Sunstreaker sounded furious. I winced and glanced around to see him storming up to us. "_What_ are you _doing_?"

"I was saying hello to-"

Thundercracker held out his hand. "I'm Thundercracker."

Sunstreaker stared at the outstretched hand like it was a dead organic. I glared at him until he shook it formally. "Sunstreaker." He grunted.

"Yes. I know. You have tried to kill me plenty of times."

The silence grew awkward. "So, anyway." I said conversationally. "Thundercracker saved my life."

"Hm."

"And helped deliver Simba."

Sunstreaker scowled.

"He's very nice."

Sunstreaker sighed, glancing irritably at me. "Where are you going with this?"

I saw Jazz motioning at me to come over to him out of the corner of my optic. "Get to know each other. I'll be right back." I stepped away from them, ignoring the incredulous looks they both shot me as I left them alone together.

Jazz grinned as I made my way towards him. "Hey, kitten. Optimus wants ya."

I nodded and shifted Simba again as he started wriggling. I sent a wave of calm down the bond, and he relaxed and shut his optics. When I was sure he wouldn't start struggling again, I walked over to Optimus and Megatron, although very cautiously. "Hi."

"Molly," Optimus looked intensely relieved that he wasn't talking alone with Megatron anymore. "This is Megatron, but I am sure you know that. Megatron, this is Molly."

I automatically shrank back as Megatron swept his dark red optics over me, lingering on Simba. "So you are the one that all this fuss is about. And this is the sparkling that is the cause of this ceasefire."

I shifted my weight onto my other foot. "Um.. Yeah."

Megatron scowled, eyeing up Simba. "I thought he'd be bigger."

I scowled back at him. "He's only a sparkling."

"When I was a sparkling, I was much larger."

I stared at him incredulously. "_You_ were a _sparkling_? But you're _huge_-"

"Molly." Optimus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please."

"He started it." I grumbled as Simba's hand flexed on my shoulder on his sleep.

Megatron looked offended. "I most certainly did not!"

"Enough." Optimus said, frowning disapprovingly. "This is a peace talk. There will be no pointing fingers."

"She was the one who-" Megatron began furiously, but broke off when Optimus glared at him. "Fine. I was just under the assumption that the sparkling would be bigger and stronger. I was informed he was the creation of two gladiators."

"He is." Optimus said stiffly. "He is the creation of two gladiators and Molly. I have already informed you of the situation."

Megatron frowned at Simba. "I thought the sparkling of your best frontliners would be more... impressive."

I glared at him. "Excuse me? Are you trying to tell me my baby isn't good enough?"

Optimus' optics flickered between us nervously. "Molly, perhaps you should sit down."

My glare didn't diminish. "He's insulting my baby."

"Yes, perhaps you should stop that." Optimus frowned at Megatron.

"Humph." Megatron glanced around to the assorted bots that had gathered. There was a wide gap between where the Autobot's and Decepticon's were seated. "Troops."

Megatron's booming voice attracted the attention of every single bot in the room. I noticed the twins' optics widening in shock and horror when they saw how close I was standing to Megatron.

{Molly! What are you-}

{Get away from him-}

{Simba is just a baby, do you know what that monster has-"

{You're insane!}

{-have a death wish?!}

{Get over here right now!}

I glared at them from the top of the room.{Sit down next to Thundercracker, shut up, and don't you dare revert to your gladiatorial programming. If you cause a scene, I will kick your tailpipes.}

Sunstreaker glared at me. {We are having a discussion about this later, missy}

I held back a sigh as I turned to Optimus. The bigger bot put his hand on my shoulder and cleared his intakes before speaking. "First of all, I would like to welcome you all to our first peace meeting."

"Temporary peace meeting." Megatron interrupted immediately.

Optimus looked at him sternly. "In order for peace, temporary or otherwise, to work, mutual respect is needed. I do not feel that you are respecting my authority."

Megatron waved a hand. "My mistake. Do continue."

Optimus turned back to the assorted factions in the room. Some bots looked excited, others irritated and angry, and others just plain tired. "Now, I'm sure you have all been fully informed on why this ceasefire is being called. It is for the good of the continuation of our race, and for the benefit of the first sparkling to be delivered in several million years." Optimus gestured at me. "This is Molly, the sparkling's carrier. I am sure that most of you will already know the creators, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker."

I almost laughed at the collective grimace that went around the Decepticon faction at the mention of the twins. I also didn't miss the way even Starscream's wings twitched, despite the fact that he was in front of everyone.

Optimus lowered his voice so only I could hear him. "Would you like to hold Simba higher so that everyone may see him?"

"Oh, sure. Simba, wake up." I whispered in his audio, shaking him lightly.

He onlined his optics blearily and looked up at me. A small smile stretched his lips when he saw my face, and he reached for my face. "Mahhh."

"I need you to say hello to some people, okay?" I held him under his arms, aware that this was going to look like the scene from the Lion King. At least Sides would be happy.

Optimus nodded approvingly as I held him up. "This is Simba."

All the Decepticon's began craning their necks in an effort to see him better, and a couple in the back began punching each other to get a better view.

Megatron spoke up. "There are a couple of things hat need to be realised by both factions if peace is going to be kept. No fighting. _None_. Training is acceptable, sparring is acceptable, arm wrestling is acceptable, thumb wars are acceptable. Nothing else, am I understood?"

Even as there was a collective murmur of affirmation, Sideswipe spoke up through the bond {What's a thumb war?}

{I'll show you later} I promised.

Megatron continued. "Our forces must work together if we are striving towards peace. Which means that medics will work together-" I saw Ratchet's horrified look and grimaced slightly. He would not be happy later on, "-scientists will work together-"

At that, Starscream's head whipped around to stare at Megatron. "What?"

I had to admit, I was not expecting his voice to be that screechy. It was a bit frightening.

Megatron shot him a look. "Not now, Starscream. As I was saying, we all work together! Especially if we are to share a living space!"

Optimus nodded in agreement. "Yes. Cooperation will be necessary in order for this to work! Please remember that you are doing it for the good of the sparkling."

Both Optimus and Megatron went on to give long, inspirational speeches that I tuned out of in order to coax Simba back to sleep. I cooed to him softly as he stared straight back at me, his optics bright and curious. He didn't look even slightly tired.

"Mmah." He sounded out, waving his arms curiously. He looked over at Megatron and cooed funnily.

"That's Megatron." I whispered. "And that's Optimus beside him."

"Gah." Simba began trying to eat his foot. I contemplated trying to stop him, but he looked pretty happy, so I let him.

I glanced back up and realised that both leaders had finished their speeches and were telling their factions to go and 'mingle'.

Within seconds, the twins were next to me. "Molly!" Sunstreaker began in frustration. "You just stood, with our sparkling, next to one of the most dangerous, violent warlords ever for half an hour."

"Half an hour, huh? That flew by."

"Molly!" Sunstreaker looked as though he were barely holding back from shaking me violently.

I sighed. "I was fine, Sunny. Optimus was there." I kissed his cheek. "Everything is fine, okay? Why don't we go and talk to some Decepticons?"

Both twins gaped at me like I had grown an extra head. "What? Are you insane? They're Decepticons!"

I frowned disapprovingly at them. "If you don't want to, I'll go alone."

"You are NOT going alone!"

"Fine." I rolled my optics and turned around. I walked back to Thundercracker, who was still sitting where I had left him. "Hey."

He smiled up at me, before nodding to the twins. "You're back."

"Yep. Hey, do you wanna hold Simba?"

Thundercracker's optics brightened in shock, and the twins sputtered behind me. "I-I would be honoured, but I don't think-"

"Here." I insisted, holding Simba out.

"Oh." Thundercracker gingerly took Simba into his arms, looking extremely apprehensive. He held his arms like a rough cradle, and rocked the sparkling uncertainly. "Um.. Is this okay?"

{Be nice} I warned over the bond.

Sideswipe sent me a mental scowl as he stepped forwards and adjusted Thundercracker's arms. "There, that's better. If you hurt him, I will kill you. I like the colour of your paint, by the way."

Thundercracker blinked. "I- um.. Thank you."

{Sideswipe-}

{I was being NICE!}

I jumped in surprise when I noticed Soundwave standing next to me, looking at the sparkling with interest bordering on boredom. "Sparkling: looks healthy."

"He is. I.. Uh.. Didn't see you there.."

"Statement: no one ever does."

I blinked. "Oh. Cool."

Thundercracker moved his arms slightly, and Simba gazed up at him curiously. "Gahhh." He reached up and touched Thundercracker's face again, before reaching out to Soundwave.

I felt Sunstreaker stiffen beside me, and I took his hand silently. {It's fine. Soundwave delivered him, remember?}

Sunstreaker didn't reply, but the tension faded very slightly as Thundercracker held Simba up to touch Soundwave's face. "Query: What is sparkling doing?"

"His name is Simba." Sideswipe spoke up with a stern scowl. "And he's feeling your face. He does that to get to know people."

Soundwave stilled as Simba trailed his tiny hands over Soundwave's battlemask curiously, trilling happily as he poked his glowing visor.

"He's done it to all the Autobots already." Sunstreaker murmured. "He's just doing it because he doesn't know you."

"Does that mean he will have to do it in offer to get to know every Decepticon here?" Thundercracker asked curiously.

"He won't be allowed near any other Decepticon here."

It was clear to me that Thundercracker was happy that he was on the Trust List, but I frowned at Sunstreaker. "It's a ceasefire, remember?"

"Many Decepticon's are happy with peace, temporary or not. We are as tired of fighting as the Autobot's are." Thundercracker pointed out.

"Statement: true." Soundwave intoned as Simba poked the space between his battlemask and visor curiously.

"Fine." Sunstreaker scowled.

Sideswipe glanced around at all the Decepticon's who had gathered around just to watch Simba feel Soundwave's face. "I think they should get in a line." He pursed his lips before nodding to himself. "All right, line up! Single file! No pushing! Hey, I saw that Swindle. No skipping the queue."

"Why are we lining up?" A Decepticon near the front asked.

"So the sparkling can grope your face. Have you a problem with that?"

"This is going to be a log day." I announced, looking tiredly from the very long queue of Decepticons to Simba, who still wasn't done with Soundwave's face.


	39. Chapter 39

The first few weeks living in a shared base with the Decepticons were hectic, but it all calmed down within the next couple of months.

It wouldn't be entirely correct to say that everyone now got on with each other... In fact, that would be a lie. Arguments were struck up about seemingly nothing, and whenever someone had a weapon, each faction dove to separate sides of the room, warzone style.

No matter how many times Megatron and Optimus lectured everyone on how there were temporarily no factions, the unease was still there.

Over time, however, it had faded until there was a kind of grudging trust between everyone.

Thundercracker had grown extremely fond of Simba, and played with him every chance available. The twins weren't overly pleased with this, but they had grown used to Thundercracker, and Sunstreaker even talked to him.

Thankfully, I hadn't seen Solstice yet. I had a suspicion Megatron had been somehow keeping her away from me. I was thankful for that, and not just for myself. I was worried about how the twins might react when they saw her.

I was on my way to the med bay to help Ratchet when someone's hand landed on my shoulder. I glanced around to see who it was, and promptly screeched and stumbled away.

"Wait!" Barricade raised his hands in a surrendering motion. "Wait."

I paused, venting harshly. My optics were wide, and I probably looked like a scared animal. This was the first time I had had the misfortune of meeting Barricade yet, despite the fact we had been sharing a base for several months.

"Please listen to me for a moment."

I waited, but didn't relax. "What?"

"Okay, look. I don't know why you're afraid of me. I know we met and parted on bad terms last time, but understand that was during wartime. You don't treat the other Decepticons this way."

"The others didn't-" I broke off, remembering he didn't even know what he did wrong.

"The others didn't what?" The black and white mech pressed.

"Nothing." I stepped back.

Barricade looked nothing short of frustrated. "What did _I_ do?"

"You mean _other_ than try to kill me?" _And successfully kill me_, I added in my head.

"Other Decepticon's have also tried to- okay, I apologise. For the sake of peace, forgive me."

I looked at him warily, before tentatively reaching out and shaking his outstretched hand. "Fine."

He nodded in relief. "I didn't want to be the one mech disturbing the peace."

"You wouldn't have been the only one, if it helps." I said, still regarding him cautiously. I didn't like being around him - it brought back too many memories.

"Hm? Oh, Solstice."

"Does everyone know?" I asked, tilting my head and frowning.

"Most, if not all, of the Decepticons do. She enjoyed complaining about it."

"Hm." I frowned again thoughtfully as I began to walk down the corridor to Ratchet's again. Barricade followed. "So she complained often, huh?"

"All the time." Barricade huffed.

I couldn't help but feel tense and nervous in his presence, as though he were about to turn around and step on me again. "Where is she..?"

"I can't say I know." He said slowly. "I believe Lord Megatron has instructed her to stay out of your path. She wasn't too happy about it."

A little laugh escaped me. "Yeah, I can't imagine she was." We reached the medbay and I glanced at him. "Well, bye."

He nodded. "Goodbye. I'm glad we worked through the problem."

"Right." I said uncertainly as he walked away. I shook my head and pushed open the doors to the medbay.

The moment I stepped through the door, a shiny red Decepticon roared "If you're not injured, get out!" without even lifting his head.

"That's my daughter, idiot." Ratchet snarled as he emerged from his office.

The shiny red mech glanced up at me, optics brightening in interest. "Ah. You're the femme who got sparked by interface... Interesting."

Ratchet shot him a glare, before turning his gaze back to me and smiling slightly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." I smiled, hopping up to sit on a med berth. "Just a bit tired. Simba wakes up early in the morning."

"Where is he now?" Ratchet glanced around, as if excepting the sparkling to jump out from a corner.

"With the twins."

Ratchet frowned. "Are you sure it's wise to allow the sparkling to spend so much time with the twins?"

"They're his dads, Ratchet." I reminded him. "I spent loads of time with them when I was a sparkling, and I turned out great."

Both Knock Out and Ratchet gave me dubious looks.

I glared at them.

The moment stretched on.

"Yes." My dad said eventually.

"Anyway," I changed the subject. "I came to see if you needed any help."

Ratchet smiled slightly and shook his head. "No, thank you. I've never had so much 'help', if you could call it that." Ratchet shot a sharp look at Knock Out, who was polishing his armour. "Hook, the only useful Decepticon, has gone to fetch more supplies." Ratchet shook his head and lowered his voice. "I don't think they know anything about proper medical care. Everything they do know is primitively basic."

Knock Out raised his head from his shining finish and glared at the back of Ratchet's helm. "I can hear you."

Ratchet was saved from having to reply when Jazz stumbled in, missing and arm and the lower half of his right leg. "Li'l help?"

"What happened?" Ratchet rushed forwards and pulled him over onto a berth.

"Sunstreaker and Mixmaster had a bit o' a disagreemen', an' I stepped in to stop them. It.. was a li'l painful."

"Sunny?" My optics widened. "Is he okay?"

Jazz snorted. "Fragger walked off without a scratch. Starscream put him in th' brig."

I sighed. "Again?"

"Mhmm. Ow!" Jazz jumped a little as Ratchet poked a loose wire hanging out of his knee socket.

"I'd better go." I waved tiredly at my dad and Jazz, and smiled at Knock Out as I headed for the door. Knock Out looked mildly surprised, but nodded civilly. As I made my way towards the brig, I focused the sparkbond on Sunstreaker. {Sunny?}

There was a long pause. {Yeah?} he replied gruffly.

{May I please enquire as to where you are?}

Another pause. {Who told you?}

{Jazz. Whose _leg_ you seem to have _torn off_.}

There was a third pause, even longer than the other two. {That was Mixmaster, not me}

I sighed. {Sunny... You said you'd make an effort}

{He started it!} he snarled back.

I pinched my nasal ridge. {Right. Where was Sideswipe?}

{Beside me} Sunstreaker grumbled.

{Well, where is he now?}

{Beside me} Sunstreaker repeated.

I stopped dead in the hall. {Excuse me?}

{He's.. beside me..} Sunstreaker repeated, sounding wary all of a sudden.

{Beside you.} I said slowly. {He's beside you. In the brig}

Sideswipe reluctantly joined the conversation. {Hey princess. How's it going?}

{You're _both_ in the brig}

Sideswipe laughed nervously over the bond. {Yeah. Yeah, I guess we are.}

{May I ask where Simba is?}

There was total silence for a long moment.

{Whuh?} was Sideswipe's eloquent answer.

{Oh, shit.} The simple fact that Sunstreaker had resorted to the human curse spoke volumes.

I turned on my heel and focused on Simba's end of the spark bond, following the sparkling's energy signature.

{Molly, we could use some help in convincing Prowl to let us out of the brig...}

{Why would I help you with a situation you two out yourselves in?} I was only half paying attention to them as I zeroed in on Simba's spark resonance. I made my way outside the base and looked around. Simba's spark signal said that he should be somewhere around here...

"Mah!"

I froze. "Oh my god... Simba, how did you get up there?"

Simba giggled and squealed upon the roof of one of the bigger hangars - I couldn't reach him.

{Because you love us?} I could vaguely hear Sideswipe talking to me.

I glanced around, before glancing into the main hangar. I spotted a familiar looking purple Seeker. "Hey! Excuse me? Could you, um, help me?"

The purple Seeker, who bore a striking resemblance to Thundercracker, turned and regarded me in surprise. "Huh? Oh, sure.. I guess." He walked out to me with a bounce in his step. "You're Molly, right?"

"Yes, and you're Thundercracker's friend," I ignored his raised optic ridge at the word 'friend', and pointed to Simba. "Do you think you could reach up there?"

The purple Seeker blinked in surprise, before exploding with laughter. "How did he get up there?" He clapped his hands in delight.

"I don't know." I sagged and stared up at Simba, who was giggling in delight. "I don't suppose you could give me a boost?"

"Sure I can. I'm Skywarp, by the way."

I blinked as Skywarp held out his hands. "Oh. _You're_ Skywarp." I murmured as I placed my foot in his interlocked fingers.

"Oh, so you've heard of me?" He grinned cheekily as he straightened, lifting me up to the roof.

"Thundercracker told me to stay away from you."

Skywarp pouted. "TC's no fun."

When Simba became within arms reach, I grabbed him. Instead of trying to get away, he laughed and clapped his hands. I sighed in defeat. "Got him."

"Awesome." Skywarp lowered me down. "Adorable little guy."

I smiled. "Thanks."

"Seriously though. You made a great looking sparkling."

My smile turned a little awkward as I nodded. "Oh. Thank you."

"Were you working on it for long?"

I blinked. "What?"

"You know, were you working on it for long? Trying to perfect the perfect sparkling recipe?"

I gaped at him in total bewilderment. "Sparkling recipe?"

"Yeah. TC said that you made your sparkling in a different way than usual, but he wouldn't tell me how. So I asked Screamer and he said that you made him by mixing a recipe and drinking it, and that made a sparkling in your gestation chamber."

It took all my will not to burst out laughing. "Starscream said that, huh?"

Skywarp nodded. "Yeah. And I thought it would be super awesome to do it too. I kinda want an adorable sparkling too, y'know?"

"Ah... Skywarp.. I'm not sure that's a good-"

"Aw, come on." Skywarp made a puppy dog face. "You could give me the recipe? Please?"

I stared at him, at a total loss. "I.. I don't actually have the recipe. Sorry. Um... In fact, I think Soundwave has it. You should ask him."

As Skywarp's face split into a grin, I almost felt bad for Soundwave. Skywarp nodded excitedly. "I'm gonna go ask him!"

Simba squealed in surprise when Skywarp vanished with a pop. I patted his back reassuringly. "It's alright, sweetheart. Skywarp is a teleporter." I kissed his head.

Simba waved his little arms, before grabbing on to my neck. "Dada?"

I paused, staring at him. "What?"

Simba paused, clearly thinking he had done something wrong.

A smile spread across my face. "Say it again!"

"Da..da.."

"Dada? Can you say daddy?" I asked, hugging him closer.

"Dada." He repeated.

It was good enough. "Oh my god, good boy!" I squealed excitedly. "Aww, say it again for mommy!"

"Dada!" He cooed in delight, no doubt immensely proud of himself.

"That's my baby! Well done!" I grinned and started jumping up and down slightly.

Simba shrieked and laughed as he bounced with me. When I stopped, he grabbed my neck again. "Dada..?"

"Yeah." I grinned. "We'll go and see them now."

I couldn't help but giggle as I made my way back inside, cuddling Simba closer to me. As I walked towards the brig, I glanced into the rec room and caught sight of Prowl.

Prowl in the rec room was a strange enough sight that I actually paused and walked in to talk to him. "Hey, Prowler."

Prowl's optic twitched when I called him by Jazz's nickname. "Hello Molly." His expression softened when he saw Simba, and he waved at him. "Hello Simba."

Simba giggled and hid his face in my neck. He peeked out a moment later, only to erupt in giggles when he saw that Prowl was still looking at him.

I smiled at their antics, before looking to Prowl. "How come you're in the rec room? You're not exactly the relaxing kind."

"I am better than Ultra Magnus." Prowl muttered, before raising his voice. "I agreed to meet Jazz here almost twenty minutes ago. It is not like him to be late. He commed me a moment ago to say he would be here shortly."

"Oh.. Well, I think he-"

"Prowler!" Jazz's cheerful call came from the door.

Both myself and Prowl turned at the same time to see Jazz limping into the rec. room.

Prowl had frozen, staring at Jazz's battered (though slightly less broken than before) frame. "What happened?"

Jazz shrugged, although his expression looked pained. "Ah.. There was a li'l bit of a disagreement."

Prowl gave him a disbelieving stare. "_You_ got into an argument? You get on with everyone!"

Jazz grinned awkwardly. "I never said I was part of the argument.."

Prowl narrowed his optics. "So you were trying to break up a fight."

Jazz remained silent.

Prowl glared. "Jazz. Tell me who hurt you. They must be punished for disorderly conduct and for harming a senior officer."

Jazz scratched the back of his helm. "Uh.. Starscream already put Sunstreaker in the brig.."

Prowl scowled, as though he had already had a suspicion that Sunstreaker had been involved. "I presume Sideswipe is with him."

Jazz nodded. "Well, Sunstreaker kinda started it, and Sideswipe supported him."

"And who was it that tore off your arm and leg?" Prowl asked.

Jazz glanced down at his newly repaired appendages. "Wow, you miss nothing, do ya Prowler?"

Prowl glared silently.

Jazz shook his head slightly. "It was a heat o' the moment thing. It was Mixmaster."

Prowl pursed his lips, before nodding and turning on his heel. Jazz and I watched as he stormed out of the room. "Poor Mixmaster."

Jazz glanced uncertainly at me. "You don' think Prowler'd do anythin', do ya?"

I gave him an amused smile, before lifting Simba higher on my hip and following Prowl's path to the door. "For you? I think he'd do anything."

I grinned as Jazz blushed, before carrying Simba out of the room. Simba cooed as we headed towards the brig. Most unfortunately, he had now begun to associate the brig with going to visit his daddies.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were sharing a cell, and they both looked up as I approached.

"Hey!" Sideswipe grinned nervously. "Any idea why Prowl just marched past looking pissed as Pit?"

I paused. "Is Mixmaster in the brig too?"

"Yeah. Starscream brought him down after he threw us in here."

"Did you know he accidentally beat Jazz up when our dear Third in Command tried to break up your fight?"

Sunstreaker nodded slowly. "Things got a bit heated."

"Yes, well. Prowl wasn't too impressed."

Sideswipe grinned slowly. "_Really_? Well, isn't _that_ interesting..."

"Anyway, there _was_ a reason I came down here." I said as I sat Buddha-style on the floor in front of the energy bars of the cell.

"Yeah?" Sideswipe scooted closer to me and smiled through the bars.

"Simba said his first word." I grinned, positioning the sparkling to sit in my lap.

Sunstreaker whipped his head around to stare, before striding over and crouching next to Sideswipe. "What?"

"Simba, will you speak for Daddies?" I bounced him slightly.

Simba giggled and widened his optics at his creators. "Dada!"

The twins both broke out into identical grins."That's my boy!" Sideswipe crowed, shuffling closer to the bars. "Say it again!"

Simba giggled at their delight. "Dada! Dada! Dada!"

Sunstreaker's grin was smaller and less pronounced than Sideswipe's, but his happiness shone through nevertheless. "I can't believe we missed him saying it."

I smiled and kissed the top of Simba's helm. "Do you think you could not pick fights with every Decepticon you see?"

Sunstreaker scowled. "Not my fault."

Simba reached out to his dads, still not grasping the concept of the energy bars.

A moment later, Prowl emerged into the corridor, flicking a bit of energon off his shoulder plate. I raised an optic ridge at him. "It went well, I guess?"

"I do not believe he will be harming Jazz again." Prowl said crisply.

"It... It was an _accident_, Prowlie." I said uncertainly.

"Hm." Prowl clearly remained unconvinced. "Nevertheless, I believe he requires some minor repairs."

I stared at him. "Aw, Prowl. How bad is he?"

"Not bad. It would have been a lot worse if I had not been restricted by the temporary Peace Treaty." He said stiffly. "I simply intimidated him by speaking threateningly and severing some sensitive wires."

I sighed. "Alright. Here, hold Simba." I passed him the sparkling as I stood up.

Prowl's expression softened when Simba was in his arms, and rocked him gently as I walked to the bottom of the brig. I deactivated the energon bars with one of the medics codes, and made my way inside.

Mixmaster was curled up in a corner. Prowl had been telling the truth when he said he hadn't damaged him severely, but the cut wires and dents still looked painful.

"Hi there." I said sheepishly as I crouched next to him. "If you wouldn't mind uncurling yourself, I'm going to fix you."

The Decepticon stared at me for a moment, before uncurling his body, wincing slightly. I reached out and began some basic field repairs on the cut and frayed wires.

Mixmaster was silent except for a pained grunt when I touched a sensitive wire. I apologised absently as I finished up the repairs. After a moment of silence, he said "Thank you."

I glanced up and smiled. "It's okay."

Mixmaster was silent for a moment again. "Megatron is going to offline me."

I laughed slightly. "No he won't."

Red optics blinked at me. "Fighting was strictly prohibited."

I waved a hand. "The twins fight all the time with everyone."

Mixmaster frowned. "Hm."

I pushed myself to my feet and smiled again. "Sorry about Prowl, by the way."

Mixmaster gave a small, half-amused chuckle. "It's fine, actually. I wouldn't have expected anything else. In fact, I actually considered worse. I hurt his mate, after all, and Praxians are known for being protective."

I blinked. "Oh. They're not- I mean, Jazz and Prowl aren't mates. Not yet, anyway."

It was Mixmaster's turn to blink. "Oh. I had just assumed..."

I grinned as I walked to the door of the cell. "Everyone does. Anyway, I'd better get back to Simba.. See you. Don't strain your repairs." I warned as I reactivated the energy bars. Mixmaster nodded, and I turned and walked back to Prowl, who was still standing in front of the twins' cell with Simba. I smiled when Simba reached out for me.

Prowl handed him over to me without a word, although he smiled slightly when I had tucked Simba into my arms.

Sideswipe pouted. "Hey, I don't suppose you could let us out early?"

Prowl frowned severely. "No. That would be strictly against protocol."

"Not even to spend time as a family?" Sideswipe asked cajolingly.

"I said no, Sideswipe. Perhaps next time you wish to spend time with your family, you will do so rather than starting a fight."

"It was Sunny that started the fight!" Sideswipe protested immediately, ignoring Sunstreaker's vicious snarl at him to shut up.

Prowl sighed and motioned at me to follow him. I glanced back to the twins and smiled sadly. "See you when you get out. Say bye to daddies." I murmured to Simba.

Simba trilled to express his confusion at having to leave the twins, but obediently waved his little hand.

Sunstreaker sighed, glancing up from the corner of his optic. "We'll come find you as soon as we get out."

Simba sniffled and buried his face in my neck as I followed Prowl out of the brig. I turned back to them before I left completely and frowned. "You need to stop getting into fights."

Sunstreaker scowled and neither of them met my optics. "Yeah. We know."

"I'll be with Bluestreak and TC when you get out." I told them, heading up the stairs. Simba started to cry as he lost sight of his daddies.


	40. Chapter 40

I woke up slowly and blinked groggily, realising that I had fallen asleep on the couch in the rec. room.

"You're awake." Sideswipe's voice said from above me, kissing my head.

"Yeah." I groaned, burying my face in his shoulder. "When did I fall asleep?"

"Couple of hours ago."

My optics widened and I sat up fully. The first thing I registered was Sideswipe playing video games with Skywarp, Rumble and Bluestreak. The second was that Simba was nowhere in sight. "Where's-"

"He's with Sunny." Sides answered easily, casually shooting down several on-screen zombies. "Relax, princess. Everything's fine."

Thundercracker, who had been sitting at the bottom of the couch next to Skywarp, smiled at me. "You look exhausted."

I laughed tiredly and lay back against Sideswipe, who adjusted his body so that I was comfortable on him while he could continue playing his game. "Yeah, guess I am."

"Ever since Simba learned to say his first word, he's been trying to say everything." Sideswipe announced, hitting buttons so hard on his controller it looked as though it would break. "He practices screaming new words late at night."

Thundercracker chuckled. "Sweet."

Skywarp grinned at his trinemate, although his optics barely left the screen. "Hey TC, have you been working on the recipe?"

Thundercracker glanced dubiously at the purple Seeker. "Of course. No success yet, I'm afraid."

Skywarp pouted. "Aw."

I shot Thundercracker an incredulous stare and mouthed "Seriously?"

He scowled back and mouthed back "What do you expect me to do?"

"Tell him!"

Thundercracker shook his head, just as Skywarp glanced over at him. "What's up?"

Thundercracker froze. "Uh..."

"TC has something to tell you." I prompted.

Thundercracker shot me a dirty look, before sighing and turning back to Skywarp. "Listen, 'Warp.. There's no such thing as a sparkling recipe. Starscream made it up."

Skywarp managed to look stricken whilst continuing to play the game. "What?"

Thundercracker sighed. "Sorry."

"But," Skywarp frowned, pausing the game and twisting to look back at Sideswipe and I on the couch. "How did you guys make Simba?"

Sideswipe grinned lecherously and leaned forwards. "Oh, you really wanna know?"

"No, he doesn't." Thundercracker emphasised, narrowing his optics.

"I do!" Skywarp protested. "I wanna know."

Rumble rolled his optics. "Even I know."

"Even Rumble knows!" Skywarp whined, nudging Thundercracker. "C'mon!"

"How do you know, short stuff?" Sideswipe raised an optic ridge at Rumble.

"Boss told us." Rumble stretched easily. "He thought it was awesome. Ya shoulda seen him when he got back after the sparkling was born. He was real happy."

"Soundwave can be happy? Ow!" Sideswipe scowled when I elbowed him sharply.

Skywarp suddenly whirled around to face Bluestreak, who jumped slightly. "Hey! You tell me! C'mon! You never stop talking! You know, right?"

"Um.." Bluestreak looked nervous, glancing uncertainly to Sideswipe. "I don't know.."

"Tell him!" Sideswipe hissed.

"Don't tell him!" Thundercracker hissed back.

"Just tell him!" Rumble said impatiently.

"He-was-sparked-by-interface!" Bluestreak blurted out. "They got overcharged and 'faced and Molly is an older model femme and so got sparked and now they have a sparkling and I'm pretty sure they still interface regularly because my room is next to theirs and-" He was cut off when I covered his mouth with my hand.

Everyone was staring at Bluestreak in surprise. After a moment, Sideswipe hummed thoughtfully. "You can hear us? Are we really that loud?"

I flushed and removed my hands from Blue's face so I could cover my own. "Sideswipe..."

"Just curious." He grinned and pulled me closer to him. "It's perfectly normal for us to interface, you know."

"It makes me a bit uncomfortable to think that Bluestreak can hear us, though."

"It makes me uncomfortable too." Bluestreak added.

Skywarp was clearly still processing this information. "Interface... TC-"

"No, Skywarp." Thundercracker said irritably.

"Why not?" Skywarp persisted.

"Because." Thundercracker pinched his optic ridge. "No one has been sparked on interface alone for millions of years! And it's war time, it wouldn't be suitable for-"

"But it's a ceasefire, TC! It's safe!"

Sideswipe cleared his intakes awkwardly. "How about we go back to our quarters?"

"Good idea." I said immediately, feeling as though we were eavesdropping on what should have been a private conversation.

Rumble turned and looked at us as we stood up. "Aw, ya can't leave us alone with them!"

"Sorry, kid." Sideswipe smirked at the cassette. "You're stuck with them."

I smiled apologetically and followed Sideswipe out of the room. A second later, Rumble raced out of the room after us and grabbed my arm. "You ain't leaving me in there with them!"

I laughed, before bending and scooping the little mechling into my arms and adjusting him so that he was holding into my neck with his legs around my waist, like a koala. "You can come see Simba, if you want. He's in our quarters with Sunny."

Rumble scowled at being picked up. "I ain't a sparkling." He grumbled as he snuggled into my grip. "But yeah, I wanna see the sparkling."

Sideswipe glanced uncertainly at the little Decepticon, but as he had promised to at least make an effort to be nice, he said "What about Frenzy? Would he like to visit too?"

Rumble tilted his head, clearly communicating with his brother over some kind of symbiot link. "He said he's-"

"I'm here!" We all glanced around as Frenzy sprinted down the hall towards us. "I'm here!"

"Were you slagging waiting for me to comm ya or somethin'?" Rumble asked derisively.

"Language." I scolded absentmindedly as Sideswipe took the hand that wasn't holding Rumble and entwined our fingers.

Frenzy tilted his helm at his brother as he trotted along behind us. "Why are you being carried? Your leg struts acting up?"

"No." Rumble scowled. "She just picked me up."

"You don't want to be carried?" I asked, beginning to lower him to the ground.

"No!" He tightened his grip around my neck, almost choking me. "I do!"

"How come I don't get to be carried?" Frenzy complained, jogging after us.

"Ask Sideswipe." I grinned.

Frenzy jumped up and tapped Sideswipe. "Hey! Carry me!"

Sideswipe stared at him derisively. "You're kidding."

"Sides. Go on." I encouraged, grinning.

Sideswipe hesitated, before sighing in resignation and scooping Frenzy up. He held him in pretty much the same way I was holding Rumble, except it looked much more comfortable for Frenzy as Sideswipe's frame was bigger and stronger than mine.

Rumble and Frenzy chattered and bantered incessantly as we carried them down the hall towards our quarters.

When we reached our door, Sideswipe entered the code quickly and stepped inside. I followed him in with Rumble, but stopped when Sides froze.

I peered around Sides' body to see what he was staring at, and blinked. "Oh, wow."

Sunstreaker had been painting.

The wall by the berth was covered in murals of Cybertron before the war: the skyline of Iacon practically sparkled, and the tiny outlines of bodies going about their business looked like ants. It was as though we were staring at the city from on top of a building.

The wall by Simba's crib had been painted with the scene Sideswipe loved so much from The Lion King; the scene where Rafiki the baboon held Simba out for all the animals to see.

The wall opposite had Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and myself holding Simba and smiling in black and white.

In the middle of the room, Sunstreaker and Simba sat on the floor with paintbrushes spread around them. We had apparently interrupted a paint war, as both of them were covered in random splotches of colour.

Sunstreaker turned to stare at us, looking startled. He had a blob of pink paint on his nose. "Oh."

Simba laughed in delight and clapped his hands. He had streaks of green paint on his cheeks and hands. There were matching green handprints on Sunstreaker's armour from where Simba had grabbed onto him.

"You brought home strays?" Sunstreaker had caught sight of the cassette twins, and had raised his optic ridges.

"Sorry, were we interrupting you getting a new paintjob?" Rumble asked snarkily.

"Be nice." I said firmly, setting Rumble on the floor.

Sideswipe did the same with Frenzy, before raising an optic ridge at his twin."You've been painting."

"Yes." Sunstreaker glanced at the cassettes guardedly, as though waiting for them to openly criticise his work.

Rumble gave a long, low whistle as he looked about the room. "Nice. How long did this take ya?"

Sunstreaker looked slightly surprised to receive a compliment. "The whole morning."

Rumble nodded, still looking around. Frenzy had caught sight of Simba, and bounced towards him excitedly. "Hi!" He greeted as he sat down in front of him.

"Hi!" Simba parroted, waving manically as if Frenzy was on the other side of the room rather than right in front him. Frenzy grinned and promptly engaged him in a conversation (despite the fact that Simba couldn't talk)

I turned to look at the twins (my twins) as they both sat down on the large couch that had been given to us by Wheeljack. Rumble followed them, climbing onto the armrest and looking at them expectantly.

Sideswipe stared back uncertainly. "Molly? He's watching us."

Rumble nodded. "Yes, I am. I heard that you two have a reputation for pranks."

Sideswipe's uneasy expression vanished, only to be replaced with a massive grin. "Oh, we do. We are very good at it."

"Well, me an' Frenzy used ta prank the Decepticons. 'Specially Starscream, 'cause that was the best. But now that we're sharin' a base, Boss said we couldn't prank no more. But if you two prank as well, it wouldn't even matter! 'Cause we'd all be pranking!"

"I'm worried about this." I sighed.

Sideswipe flapped a hand at me. "Don't be! It'll be an awesome team-up! It'll be like.. Like.. Superman and Batman!"

"Superman and Batman always try to kill each other before teaming up."

Sideswipe paused. "It'll be like... the Avengers!"

"Coulson died."

"No one has to die!"

I sighed. "Promise me you won't get into trouble?"

"We promise we won't get into big trouble." Rumble corrected.

I shook my head. "I am not responsible for what happens next."

Simba looked up at me from where he and Frenzy were building a tower out of metal cubes (also a gift from Wheeljack). "Mah!" He pointed at the tower and clapped his hands.

"That looks great, Simba!" I praised, scooting closer to the precariously stacked cubes.

Frenzy grinned at me. "Your sparkling is awesome."

I laughed. "Um.. Thank you."

"Can we play with him more often?"

"Sure you can!" I patted his head. "Anytime you like. Except when we're recharging. Skywarp already tried that."

I was distracted by Sideswipe saying "Rust sticks? Where'd you get those? I love them!"

I glanced around to see Rumble passing each twin a reddish looking stick. "Me and Frenzy borrowed them."

"So, they're stolen?" Sunstreaker raised an optic ridge, but accepted the treat nonetheless.

"Not stolen." Frenzy said from beside Simba.

"Almost stolen." Rumble corrected.

"Semi-stolen." Frenzy said.

"Quasi-stolen." said Rumble.

"So, they're stolen?" Sideswipe raised an optic ridge.

"Yes." Rumble and Frenzy said together.

"Why is it that you two always end up stealing something?" I asked as Rumble passed me two rust sticks.

"We always return it." Frenzy said a little defensively. "It may not be in one piece, or to the right person, but we return it! So it's not stealing, it's merely borrowing."

Rumble glanced at his brother. "It's a little bit stealing."

"Anyone who leaves a packet of rust sticks just lying around deserves to have them stolen."

"But they weren't just lying around. We had to sneak into Starscream's quarters and break into his stash of goodies. It took us like an hour-"

"Shut up, Rumble."

Sideswipe nodded. "Yeah. I think I'm gonna like these two.


End file.
